


Take My Love

by Apnsb



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Genre: Dating, F/F, Former Dinah Lance/Oliver Queen, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, confused feelings, oh my god they were roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 131,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24047761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apnsb/pseuds/Apnsb
Summary: When Roman's death forces Dinah out of her apartment, she takes Helena up on the offer to move in with her. Romance begins to blossom from their circumstance, but will life end up tearing them apart?
Relationships: Helena Bertinelli/Dinah Lance
Comments: 161
Kudos: 398





	1. Afraid of Changing

This had to be the worst idea she’d ever had.

Helena tried to tell herself that she could still change her mind, but that would have been a lie. She’d already paid for the moving truck. Either way, Dinah had nowhere else to go. With Roman now dead, Dinah had been evicted from her apartment. They’d already been over the logistics a hundred times. Renee didn’t have space for her, and Harley was, well,  _ Harley.  _ Helena was willing to pay for Dinah to have an apartment of her own, but the offer was shot down as soon as it was spoken aloud. 

Sometime after that, Helena had offered to let Dinah stay with her. The apartment was more than big enough for the two of them, and it wasn’t like Helena did much  _ living _ there. She was rarely there as it was, the apartment looked furnished but empty. Helena slept on the couch at night, just out of convenience. If a robber chose to break in while she was away, they wouldn’t find much to take with them. She had a television she never used, some clothes in the hallway closet, and a few toiletries in the bathroom. Only what was necessary. They could take the television and she wouldn’t miss it, it was little more than decoration. 

Helena knew that would change soon. She’d never been in Dinah’s apartment, so she didn’t know  _ what  _ Dinah was bringing with her. The only thing Helena knew for sure was that soon she’d be sharing her sparse living space with another person. The longer she thought about it, the more anxious she became.

_ I could call the moving company and cancel. _

Not that she would do something so cruel. They’d made a deal. Dinah could stay there as long as she wanted. Helena would make do. Silently she prayed that Dinah contained most of her belongings to the bedroom, where Helena would not have to navigate around them. It was wishful thinking.

Helena started pacing the living room, her arms folded behind her back. She had cleaned the entire apartment floor to ceiling once already today. She had already given Dinah her keys, and had moved her motorcycle so that Dinah had somewhere to park her car. 

_ This will be fine. It’s nothing. You can do this. _

Despite what she told herself this didn’t stop the pacing. By now, Dinah and Renee were riding in Dinah’s convertible, following the truck. Helena could do little now but wait.

The clock on the wall did little to ease her anxieties. Minutes dragged like hours as Helena circled the living room. It would have been easier if she wasn’t _here_ , but there was no time to make an escape now. She had promised Dinah she’d spend the day at home, but had made no offer to actually _help_ with the moving process. She’d paid for help, that was enough.

A car horn blaring from the street below drew Helena from her thoughts. Stepping over to the window, she looked down at the street to see Dinah and Renee waving up at her. Helena let out a quiet sigh as the truck pulled in behind them. 

_ I guess it’s too late to change my mind. _

* * *

Dinah didn’t bother knocking when she entered the apartment with Renee. She had seen Helena standing in the window. They weren’t exactly unannounced. As she and Renee walked through the door, Dinah found Helena still in front of the window. Her head was bent slightly as she looked down on the street, watching the two men unload Dinah’s boxes from the back of the truck.

“Morning, Helena,” Renee said, stepping around Dinah to enter the apartment. 

When she heard her name, Helena turned away from the window to look at them. Her dark eyes moved between Dinah and Renee for a moment before she pulled her lips back into a tight smile.

“Hi.” Dinah couldn’t help but notice she seemed a little tense. It wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary for Helena, but Dinah couldn’t deny that something felt off. After a moment, she seemed to snap out of it. “I’m surprised Harley didn’t invite herself.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “You know she doesn’t want to do any real work.”

“She hasn’t worked since she was at the asylum.” Renee agreed, leaning against the kitchen counter. “She wouldn’t help us if you _paid_ her.”

Helena merely nodded. Even with the three of them there, the apartment felt too quiet. Dinah made up her mind to fix it. She beelined for the living room to turn on the television. A little background noise never hurt anybody. 

She could feel Helena’s eyes on her as she moved. Were it anyone else, Dinah would have told them to find something else to look at. But she had to remind herself that for now, she was in Helena’s domain. Dinah didn’t live here  _ yet _ , and they both would have to adjust to having a roommate. Still, there was some trust there. Helena wouldn’t have offered to let Dinah live there if she didn’t  _ trust  _ her. Likewise, Dinah wouldn’t have accepted. Though once she had been evicted she had found herself with few other options.

Helena was still watching when Dinah finished. The news droned on behind her, but the noise filled the space adequately. Now it didn’t feel so empty. 

A few moments later the movers swept into the apartment and began unceremoniously dropping Dinah’s boxes into the floor. Before Dinah could complain, they were already on their way out for the next load. Thankfully the more fragile items were still boxed up in her car, or in storage. 

Dinah heard Renee sigh before knelt down to one of the boxes and popped it open. 

“Let’s get started then,” Renee grumbled. “This is going to take all day as it is.”

Dinah was more than ready to get to work getting settled in. But then there was Helena. Tall and wiry, Helena stood helplessly in the center of the floor. This time, her eyes were on Renee. As if she felt Dinah’s eyes on her, her brown eyes snapped up, meeting Dinah’s gaze. Helena opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, only to close it after a thought. She began absentmindedly chewing on her lip. She cast one more look around the apartment before she looked toward the door. Several long strides carried her across the apartment, and Dinah had to reach out to grab her by the wrist before she could escape.

“You okay?” Dinah asked, arching her brow.

Helena paused, seemingly thinking about it. “I’ll be outside.”

As soon as Dinah released her grip on Helena’s arm, Helena was out the door.

“Hey!” Renee called loudly, despite Helena’s quick footsteps echoing down the stairwell. “Aren’t you going to help us?”

Dinah shrugged. “She never said she would, did she?”

“What was that about?” Renee asked as Dinah walked over to open another box. Renee looked at her then motioned to the room at large. “This place is fucking empty. Does she even live here?”

Dinah wasn’t sure, but she thought the answer might be _yes_. She could still remember the first time she came over before she’d agreed to move in. The entire apartment had felt so barren. It still did. The entire apartment looked more like a showroom than a home. The sterility of it all had been off-putting at first, but now Dinah realized that was just _Helena_. She didn’t have much because she didn’t _need_ much. As for the things she _did_ need, they all had their place. Dinah would try to avoid intruding upon that as much as she could. She knew that inevitably compromises would have to be made if she expected to live here.

_ I half expected her to change her mind. _

“Come on,” Dinah said, lifting one of the boxes up and putting it on her hip. “Help me carry this stuff to the bedroom. It’s mostly clothes.”

Renee continued to grumble under her breath, but she complied. Dinah led her to the bedroom. The door was cracked slightly, so Dinah leaned against it to nudge it open. The last time she had been here, the bedroom had been completely bare except for the unmade bed. Now, however, she was surprised to find that the bed had been neatly made with fresh white sheets and a blue duvet. 

Dinah dropped her box onto the bed, then reached for the one Renee was carrying. Once her hands were free, Renee crossed her arms and looked at the bedroom.

“Wait a minute,” Renee said, narrowing her eyes, “Are you telling me there’s only one bed?”

Dinah shrugged. “Helena said she sleeps on the couch.”

Renee was watching Dinah’s face carefully, her lips pursed. “You guys got something you wanna tell me?”

“ _ No _ .” She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “It’s not like that.”

“Uh huh.” Renee wasn’t entirely convinced, but Dinah didn’t care. “I’ll see what Helena says.”

“Just don’t make it weird, Montoya.” 

“Honey it’s already weird enough.”

Dinah had to laugh. Renee had a point, but so long as Dinah had a place to stay she wasn’t complaining. 

* * *

It was a shame that she had picked such a quiet neighborhood. Helena was sitting on the stoop with her knees pulled to her chest. Other than a handful of people walking by, and two cars, the street was quiet. She couldn’t do much people-watching here. Helena still considered it better than being inside. Upstairs she would just be in the way. 

It had been a couple hours since the movers had left. The last few things they had carried upstairs had included an oversized armchair, a sickly golden yellow color. Helena didn’t want to think about it. But Dinah hadn’t brought much furniture, so Helena could only assume that most of it was in storage. 

Helena pulled the sleeves of her jacket down over her hands and sighed. She was considering giving up and going back inside when she heard footsteps coming down the stairwell. The door behind her opened, and the next thing she knew, Dinah had plopped down next to her.

“You can stop hiding now.”

Helena held her hands up, gesturing toward the street. “This is hiding?”

“According to Renee it is.” Dinah’s smile gave away her own amusement. “Have you been sitting here all day?”

“Yeah.” Helena hadn’t really had any other plans. It was better than helping unpack. She didn’t know how much harm she could have caused doing that.

“Did we miss anything interesting?” Dinah asked, looking from one end of the street to the other.

She was sitting so close to Helena that their arms were touching. Helena took a deep breath, thinking about what Dinah had asked her. “No. This neighborhood is boring.”

Dinah laughed. “In Gotham? Boring neighborhoods are a good thing.”

Helena shrugged one shoulder. It was easy for Dinah to say that now, she wasn’t the one who had sat outside all day waiting for something to happen.

“When Renee comes downstairs, we’re going to go get some food.” Dinah told her. When Helena said nothing, Dinah nudged her with her elbow. “You should come.” Helena let out a quiet sigh. She hadn’t thought about  _ dinner _ . “Unless you plan on going upstairs and rearranging everything.”

Helena mulled it over. “Depends on the mess you made.”

“I think it’s pretty contained.” Helena couldn’t tell if Dinah was lying or not. 

_ I’m sure we have very different definitions of the word ‘mess’. _

Helena gave Dinah a look that said she didn’t believe her. She couldn’t tell if Dinah realized it or not, but Dinah was chuckling to herself. Helena thought about saying something, only to decide against it. It was just as well, because she could hear Renee stomping downstairs. 

“Come on.” Renee grunted, sidestepping the pair of them. “I’m starving.” She was on the sidewalk before she cast a glance over her shoulder at Helena. “If you had given us some  _ help _ , it wouldn’t have taken so long.”

Helena chose to ignore her. Dinah stood up and brushed her pants off, and once she was satisfied she reached behind Helena’s back. With one swift movement, Dinah pulled the hood of Helena’s jacket over her head, covering her eyes. 

“Let’s go.” Dinah teased. “Dinner’s on me.”

Huffing, Helena pushed the hood back and stood up. She grumbled to herself as she climbed into the backseat of Dinah’s convertible, but couldn’t help but notice how pleased Dinah looked.

* * *

Sitting in a booth across from Helena and Renee was always  _ interesting _ . The only downside was that today, it felt like an interrogation. 

“Didn’t you say you were buying a warehouse?” Renee’s question was directed at Helena, who, between bites of pizza had been staring out the window. “What happened with that?”

Helena gave Renee a simple response. “It’s not ready.”

“Not ready?” Renee propped her elbow on the table so she could turn in the booth to look at Helena. “What do you mean it’s not ready? It’s a warehouse, what’re you doing, fixing the plumbing?”

Renee continued asking questions, but Helena wasn’t paying attention. For Dinah, it was just noise. She was too focused on watching Helena’s eyes. Helena was watching the people on the sidewalk, and would follow them for a while before she found someone else. 

Her features had softened the longer she looked out the window. Even if she wasn’t paying attention to Renee, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

_ She’s kind of cute when she’s not frowning. _

When the bell on the door behind them rang, Helena’s dark eyes snapped to the noise. Dinah could tell where the people behind them were standing by the way Helena’s eyes were following them. When they found a seat, Helena huffed and went back to her pizza.

“Bertinelli are you listening to me?” 

Dinah covered her mouth to keep from laughing as Helena turned to Renee with her eyebrows raised. 

Helena thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. “No.”

Renee sighed in exasperation and began massaging her temples. “You two are hopeless. “You,” She motioned at Helena, “Just want to look out the window and daydream all afternoon. And  _ you _ ,” Renee paused and looked pointedly at Dinah. “You’ve been staring.”

_ Shit. _

“Let it go, Montoya.” Dinah’s cheeks felt warm. 

“No I’m not going to let it go.” Renee’s teasing grin was embarrassing. “You two are up to something.”

Poor Helena looked confused. “We are?”

“Yes, you are, miss one-bedroom apartment.”

This didn’t seem to help Helena’s confusion. “I only need one bedroom.”

“You sleep on the  _ couch _ .”

“Yeah, so?”

“I don’t buy it. I think you guys have something going on.”

“Sure,” Helena nodded along. “I guess we’re roommates now.”

Renee buried her face in her hands. “Hopeless. Both of you.”

“Renee,” Helena had grown serious. “Did you want Dinah to move in with you? If that’s what this is about, we can go get all her stuff-.”

“ _ No. _ ” Renee groaned. “I am not packing all her fucking clothes back into those boxes.” A grin turned up the corner of Helena’s mouth, and Dinah couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You sure? I’ll help this time.”

Dinah stared at her, mouth agape. “Girl you are not getting rid of me that easily.”

Helena started laughing. It was silent at first, her shoulders shaking. When Renee noticed, she let out a snort, then all three of them began laughing. Dinah was tired, but it felt good to laugh. It had been one long ass day.

* * *

Dinah had left the television on. It was the first thing Helena noticed when she let them into the apartment. Renee had left some of the lights on. Helena made the decision to not look around more than she had to. If she needed to clean, she would do so tomorrow. 

She held the door open for Dinah to come in behind her, taking care to bolt it shut afterwards. Dinah walked straight into the living room and sprawled out across the couch. Helena stood and watched her for a moment. Eventually, Helena took her shoes off and carried them to the hall closet. Then, barefoot, she walked to the living room and cut the television off. The yellow armchair Helena had seen earlier was to the left of the couch, turned toward the television. With Dinah stretched out on the couch itself, Helena resigned herself to sitting down. 

Dinah’s eyes were closed, but she was not asleep. Helena sat down in the armchair silently, tucking one leg under herself. Dinah must have heard her sit down, because she turned her head toward the sound and opened her eyes. Helena held her gaze for several seconds, before realization dawned on Dinah’s face.

“Shit sorry,” Dinah muttered, sitting straight up almost immediately. 

“What?” Helena tilted her head slightly, confused.

Dinah pushed her hair out of her face, looking a little flustered. “I just came and laid down and didn’t even think-.”

_ Oh. _

“You live here now,” Helena said matter-of-factly. “You’re supposed to make yourself comfortable.”

“Not when  _ you’re  _ the one sleeping on the couch.” Dinah replied. “This is your space, you know?”

Helena shrugged. “I’m not sleeping now.” Dinah was staring at her, now. 

_ Did I say something wrong? _

After what seemed like an eternity, Dinah stood up, shaking her head. 

“I’m really tired. I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

“Okay,” Helena stayed where she was, her hands folded in her lap. “Goodnight.”

It wasn’t until Dinah was shutting the bedroom door that she gave Helena a small smile and told her goodnight in return. 

Once alone, Helena began absentmindedly picking at her fingernails. It wasn’t until she heard the shower cut on in the next room that she willed herself to stand. She returned to the closet, this time to retrieve an old t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Once she had her things she stepped into the nearby bathroom to get changed. This bathroom was much smaller than the one attached to the bedroom, but that suited Helena just fine. Too much space seemed kind of ridiculous, she only needed essentials anyway. 

After she had changed and put her clothes in the hamper, Helena stood at the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a mess. She combed her fingers through it a few times but it did little to help. 

Giving up, Helena moved through her nighttime routine. She still needed to brush her teeth and wash her face. This was just another night, like any other. The only difference was now Dinah was in the next room. Helena would have to get used to hearing her move around the apartment. Surely Dinah had her own daily schedule, whether she knew it or not. Only time would tell.

Helena made a walkthrough of the apartment once she left the bathroom. The door was locked, the windows were locked, and then the lights were cut off last. She finally went to the couch, moving by memory now. 

The shower was still running. Helena felt through the darkness to find the blanket that was folded neatly over the back of the couch. Once she had it in her hands, she laid down and made herself comfortable. 

After waiting for a few minutes, Helena heard the water shut off. She could hear Dinah faintly rummaging around in the bathroom, but tried to pay it no mind. 

Helena wasn’t tired. 

She laid there quietly, listening for a long time. Eventually, the bedroom light went out and the apartment was still and silent. Nighttime used to be the hardest for Helena. Now, however, she was used to it. So long as she kept her thoughts from getting the best of her. There was no changing the past, she’d learned that the hard way. Now, Helena only tried to think of the things she could control.

Any time her mind had to wander was now occupied by her plans for tomorrow. She had work that needed to be done. If she was lucky, she’d keep herself busy for most of the day. It felt good to have something to look forward to, even if most people considered it work.

Helena had plans to get up early and head down to the warehouse she had purchased. Renee wanted it to serve as a base of sorts for the Birds of Prey. But there was a lot that needed to be done before Helena would consider it ready. Renee would just have to be patient.


	2. Connections

Dinah woke up starving. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was daylight. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched. If she wasn’t so hungry, she would have entertained the thought of going back to sleep. 

_ Food first. Sleep later _ .

She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and left the bedroom. She checked both the living room and the couch as a courtesy, looking for Helena. But the living room was untouched, and she was alone in the apartment. 

Dinah turned her search back to the kitchen. She opened all the cabinets and all the drawers, familiarizing herself with where Helena kept everything. The dishes themselves were in immaculate condition, and Dinah couldn’t help but wonder if they were ever used. The same question could be asked of the pots and pans, all stacked neatly with their lids in the lower cabinets. But none of this was  _ food _ , which is what Dinah really wanted.

She opened the pantry first, only to be sorely disappointed. Amongst the empty shelves she found a half-empty box of granola bars and a few apples. There was an unopened bag of rice, and a few small spice canisters, but aside from this the pantry was bare. 

As Dinah opened the fridge, she kept her fingers crossed. Once again, she found herself let down. There was a carton of eggs, several bottles of water, and a stick of butter. 

“Come  _ on _ ,” Dinah whined, shutting the fridge. “Helena you’ve got to be kidding me. What do you  _ eat _ ?”

Of course, Helena wasn’t around to answer. Sighing, Dinah resigned herself to two of the granola bars and a bottle of water. Once she had breakfast, she hopped up onto the kitchen counter and pulled out her phone. She needed to go grocery shopping if she expected to live here. Luckily for her, she knew just the person to help her.

Renee answered her on the third ring.

“What is it, Dinah?”

“You doing anything today?” Dinah asked, peeling one of the wrappers off a granola bar.

Renee sighed on the other end. “No, but I have a feeling that’s about to change. What do you want?”

“Groceries.” Dinah tried to sound as innocent as possible.

“ _ Groceries? _ ”

“You heard me.”

“I am  _ not _ buying you groceries.” Renee growled.

“You don’t have to _buy_ them, I just want you to go with me. I’m going to need two shopping carts. I think.”

“Fine. I’ll be there in ten.”

Renee hung up before Dinah could thank her. She finished off both the granola bars and slid off the counter. She needed to change out of the clothes she slept in if she planned on heading out, even if it was only for groceries. Renee, of all people, would expect her to at least look like she hadn’t just rolled out of bed.

As she got ready she tried to think about what kind of food Helena might like. Helena had eaten dinner with her and Renee a few times, even with Harley, but you couldn’t live off take-out forever. She spent the next few minutes mulling over a list of items in her head that she would need to stock up on. Writing it down would do her no good, half her purchases would be on impulse anyway. Still, Renee would want some kind of guideline, Dinah was sure. 

Dinah was waiting when Renee finally knocked on the door. She went to open the door, only to be met with an expression of pure disapproval.

“When I agreed to work with you guys, I didn’t mean running errands.” Renee grumbled. 

Dinah could only grin. “You could have said no. Yet here you are.”

“Here I am.” Renee nodded, glancing over at the kitchen. “Is it as bad as mine?”

“At least there’s  _ something _ here.” Dinah said. “What have you got? Booze? Old take-out?”

Renee started laughing. “That’s pretty much it.”

“Then Helena was better off. I’ll buy your groceries next.”

“I’ll pass.”

Dinah shrugged, grabbing her keys and jingling them. “Suit yourself, chief. Let’s go.”

* * *

With the flip of a switch, the entire warehouse was flooded with white fluorescent light. There were dozens of crates littered around that Helena still needed to sort through, but that wouldn’t be today. She hated how messy it all was. 

She’d gotten some work done, in the early morning. Helena’s time had been spent soundproofing the shooting range. They didn’t need to draw anyone’s unwanted attention to this place, least of all with gunshots. She’d been working since at least sunrise, and it was now the early afternoon. 

She knew she only had more work ahead of her, but for today she was finished. Her arms were sore, and she had to admit she was a little tired. Helena didn’t mind the work, though. It gave her something to do that would occupy both her hands and her mind. It was an easy distraction. Once the warehouse was finished, and truly ready to be a base of operations for the Birds of Prey, then she would have to find something else to do.

Renee would love it, she was certain. But until it was finished, Helena didn’t want Renee or Dinah to see it. For now, this was her space, her escape. She wanted to keep it like that for just a while longer.

Helena decided she would check the sound before she left. Fishing her cellphone out of her pocket, she opened up the microphone and pressed record. She found a suitable place to leave her phone before she entered the shooting range and shut the door behind her. 

For now, all she had was a paper target hanging from the far wall. She had installed tracks in the floor for moving targets, but she was waiting for the targets themselves to be shipped to her. She hated having to wait on someone else to get what she wanted, but as of right now, this would be sufficient. 

She grabbed a pair of earmuffs and slipped them on before reaching for the gun holstered to her thigh.

Shooting was second nature to Helena now. She could remember a time when her aim was horrendous, when her hands shook as she held a pistol, when she had been  _ afraid _ .

Helena wasn’t afraid anymore.

She fired until the magazine was empty. For the slightest moment she considered reloading and going again. But her shoulder was sore, and she was getting tired. 

_ I need to clean up.  _

She would clean up, check her recording, then go home. Cleaning up gave her enough reason to actually  _ leave _ . It was so easy for her to begin any sort of training, shooting or otherwise and then quickly lose track of time. It was something she was trying to work on. The warehouse was fine to have as a project, and Helena very much wanted it to be  _ finished _ . But she knew she had to pace herself, to keep herself from becoming absorbed in it. 

_ I can always come back tomorrow _ .

* * *

If she was being honest, Dinah felt pretty proud of herself. They had bought enough food to feed a small army.  _ Surely _ Helena would like some of it. Either way, Dinah knew they would have to stop ordering out so much. Finding time to cook was one problem she hadn’t thought of, but now she was determined. She would  _ make _ time.

Now she was only waiting for Helena to come home. Dinah had no idea of knowing when that would be, but she was hoping that the day's errands would elicit some kind of reaction from her. 

She had taken care to put everything away as neatly as possible. Dinah figured most of all, Helena would appreciate that effort. 

Dinah could feel herself grinning like an idiot when Helena finally came through the door. Helena didn’t pay attention to her at first, but after taking a few steps into the apartment she saw Dinah sitting in the kitchen and stopped short. Her expression showed immediate suspicion as she narrowed her eyes. She glanced side to side, checking the apartment for anything out of place before coming back to Dinah.

“What’s going on?” Helena asked slowly. “What did you do?”

“Do you know how hungry I was when I woke up today?” Dinah asked teasingly.

Helena hesitated. “.....No?”

“ _ Starving. _ I get up and come into the kitchen and guess what I find.”

“Not much?” Helena rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “I usually eat out.”

“Yeah.” Dinah replied, crossing her arms. “You’re as bad as Renee.” Helena actually cracked a smile at that. “Come look at all this shit I bought. You’re not allowed to eat out for a  _ week _ . You hear me?”

Dinah could have swore she heard Helena chuckle under her breath as she made her way to the pantry and opened the door.

“Yes ma’am,” Helena replied dutifully.

Dinah watched Helena’s eyes as she stepped over to the open pantry and began looking. Dinah and Renee had stocked it floor to ceiling with everything you could imagine. Thankfully, most of it would last a long time. 

“I guess I’ll have to cook more.” Helena muttered under her breath. 

She was tracing the shelves with her finger, going over each item. She read the boxes and cans quickly, moving from shelf to shelf. She looked pleased. Gradually, her finger led her to the boxes of cereal that Dinah had bought. At first, Dinah didn’t notice anything wrong until Helena’s finger grazed a bright blue box that stood out from the others. It was the box of Oreo O’s she had picked up on a whim.

“I don’t know if you like sweet cereal,” Dinah explained, “But I thought it might be something nice to have every once in a while.” She shrugged. “You never know.”

Helena pulled her hand back without a word. Dinah could see the muscles in her jaw clench, and she swallowed hard before turning her head away from the pantry.

“What’s in the fridge?” Helena finally asked, as if she was struggling with the words.

Dinah frowned, but took a step back and motioned for Helena to go see for herself.

Helena did so, but made a clear effort not to stand with the door open for too long. After she had inspected everything she turned to Dinah and smiled. It seemed genuine, though it didn’t seem to quite reach her eyes.

“Thank you, Dinah.” Helena said with a nod. “This is...nice.” She began looking around as if she was searching for the words. “I’ll try to eat here. More.”

“You and me both,” Dinah laughed. “We may have to invite Renee over to eat some of this.”

Helena nodded along as she spoke, but she seemed distracted. “I’ll try to cook something for dinner, sometime.”

_ Is something wrong? _

“Helena-.”

Helena opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but stopped herself. After a few moments, she tried again. “I should probably take a shower.” Helena said matter-of-factly. “Then maybe we can have dinner.”

Despite what her gut said, Dinah didn’t object. Helena took a deep breath and walked away from her, making a beeline for the bathroom. As she did so, Dinah couldn’t shake the feeling that she had done something wrong.

* * *

Something smelled good. The scent coming from the kitchen was slowly seeping into the rest of the apartment. The longer she stood in front of the mirror, toweling her hair dry, the stronger the smell became. 

_ Dinah must be cooking dinner. _

Helena had to admit she felt a little better, now. Once her hair was no longer dripping wet, she straightened her back and looked at herself in the mirror. She could remember a time when her hair was straight, and neat. It would be that way again if she ever took the time to brush it. Helena couldn’t be bothered. She combed her fingers through it quickly, taking care to work out any tangles. She was well past vanity.

She wondered how long she could feasibly hide in the bathroom before Dinah checked on her. 

Then her stomach growled. Loudly.

_ That _ was something she couldn’t ignore. Helena made her mind up to go be nosy.

Dinah was in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove. Helena saw her head turn to one side, listening as Helena walked from the bathroom. She tried to be inconspicuous, but since she couldn’t see  _ through _ Dinah, she wouldn’t know what Dinah was cooking unless she was closer.

Barefooted, Helena hardly made any noise as she stepped closer. Using her height to her advantage she craned her neck a little, trying to see over Dinah’s shoulder.

“ _ What _ are you doing?” Dinah asked without turning her head.

Helena froze. “Um.” Dinah turned around fully, eyebrows raised. Helena could only smile at her sheepishly. “That smells  _ really _ good.”

“It’s stir-fry.” Dinah rolled her eyes. “I was gonna give you some, you know that right?”

“Oh good,” Helena sounded way more relieved than she had planned. “I’m starving.”

As if on cue, her stomach rumbled again, this time, loud enough even Dinah heard. She laughed, making a point to poke Helena in the stomach. 

“I can tell. Have you even eaten today?”

Helena blanked. She didn’t remember.

“Uh, I think so?”

Dinah grabbed the spoon she had been using to stir the pan and waved it at Helena. “Grab some plates and go sit. It’s almost done.”

Helena obeyed without question. It took her a second to remember which cabinet the plates were in, but once she found it she grabbed two and headed to the table. 

She could remember being chased out of the kitchen more than once by her mother simply for being in the way. She was always asking questions. Now, she only had to watch.

When she finally sat, Helena propped her chin in her hand, elbow on the table. Dinah had gone back to cooking without so much as a second glance. Her hair hung like a thick curtain in front of her face, but Helena could hear her humming.

The melody was disarming. Helena could almost see the notes floating through the air, filling the room with their warmth. It was enough to make her momentarily forget her hunger. 

She found herself  _ disappointed _ when Dinah stopped. Though stopping in itself signified that the food was ready, since Dinah grabbed the pan with a pair of potholders, Helena found this a poor substitute. 

This disappointment was soon forgotten when she saw the mountain of noodles, chicken and vegetables that was placed before her. Her stomach won. As Dinah sat down she scooped out a plateful of the stuff and immediately dug in.

The first bite, larger than she probably should have taken, was a mistake. She burnt the roof of her mouth, and her tongue, in the process. She coughed reflexively and her eyes watered, but she forced the bite down.

Seeing Dinah staring at her, mouth agape, Helena cleared her throat.

“It’s hot.” Helena managed to say.

Dinah looked at her, then her eyes immediately went down to the plate of food, which was steaming. When their eyes met again, Dinah didn’t seem impressed.

“No shit?”

Helena felt heat rising to her cheeks. All she could do was laugh. Dinah shook her head and laughed too, fixing her own plate.

Composing herself, Helena grabbed another forkfull. This time, she took the time to blow on it gently. Dinah was watching her with a bemused expression as she did so, but Helena didn’t want to repeat the same mistake twice.

Actually  _ tasting  _ the food this time, Helena was impressed. It tasted way better than it smelled. Either that or she was hungrier than she thought. 

“Better than take-out?” Dinah asked expectantly.

“So much better. Oh my god.”

“Good.” Dinah grinned before she started eating herself. “Tell Renee that. Maybe I can get you guys to eat real food every once in a while.”

“Take-out isn't' real food?”

“You know what I mean. Besides, have you ever even cooked in this kitchen?”

Helena shook her head. “Not yet. You’re the first.”

Dinah hummed her disapproval. “Only to keep you from  _ starving _ . Next dinner is on you, Bertinelli.”

Helena tried to remember the last time she’d had time to cook. She wasn’t sure she could.

“Sure,” She promised, “Whatever you want.”

“ _ That _ is a dangerous promise.” Dinah warned. 

Helena didn’t mind. If every other meal was as good as this one, it’d be worth it.

* * *

Dinah hated having to wake up to use the bathroom. She considered it one of the world’s greatest cruelties. Especially as she staggered into the bathroom with her eyes half-shut, trying to maintain the same level of sleepiness so that sleep would come back to her faster. She just wanted to sleep through the night with no interruptions. Was that really too much to ask?

She was more than happy to crawl back into bed a few minutes later. She let herself burrow back under the covers, relishing the way she sunk comfortably into the mattress. 

She was almost at the brink of falling asleep when she heard a creak on the floor. Then another. Footsteps. One eye snapped open, and she held her breath, listening.

Her first thought was that someone had broken into the apartment. It was pushed from her mind quickly knowing that no one would have gotten in without Helena knowing. 

Then there was noise in the kitchen. It sounded like someone rummaging through the cabinets, Dinah could hear the dishes clinking together. After a few seconds, Dinah heard the refrigerator door shut, followed by more footsteps.

_ Helena is awake. _

The only problem Dinah saw was that now she was too.

She reached for her phone on the nightstand to check the time. It was one-thirty in the morning. 

_ What on Earth is she doing? _

After a minute or two of trying to go back to sleep, Dinah gave up and pushed herself out of bed. She opened her bedroom door and poked her head out, looking for Helena. The lamp in the living room was on, and she could see Helena’s silhouette seated on the couch. Dinah padded quietly across the floor to get a better look. 

“Helena?” 

She heard Helena sigh, but she received no word in return. As she drew closer she could see a box of cereal sitting on the coffee table next to the carton of milk. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was the same cereal that had given Helena pause earlier in the day. Dinah rounded the end of the couch, only to find Helena clutching a full bowl of cereal in her lap. 

“Helena?” Dinah repeated gently. “You okay?”

She saw Helena swallow hard, but after a moment she nodded. Dinah stood there watching her, not sure if _okay_ was true. 

“It’s just cereal.” Helena whispered, barely loud enough for Dinah to hear her.

A knot of worry bundled itself up in Dinah’s stomach. _Something_ was wrong. She sighed, leaving Helena only long enough to go to the kitchen and grab a bowl and spoon. 

When she came back, she found Helena just as she had left her, staring at her bowl. Her knuckles were white. It was hard to tell in the light, but Helena’s face looked like it was wet. 

“Can I have a bowl?”

All she got was another nod. She pressed her lips into a tight line, but reached for the box and then the milk in turn. Once her bowl was ready, she gingerly sat down on the couch next to Helena.

“What’s up?” Dinah asked, this time watching Helena’s face closely.

Helena’s eyes finally lifted from the bowl to meet her own, and in them, Dinah only saw sadness. “Helena?”

Helena’s chest heaved with how deeply she drew a breath, but then the muscles in her jaw tightened and she seemed to regain control. When she said nothing, Dinah didn’t try to pry again. Helena cast a sideways glance at Dinah for only a moment before she lifted her hand and pawed roughly at her cheek, trying to dry it.

“This was my brother’s favorite cereal.” Her voice was so quiet, she barely moved her lips as she spoke. “We used to eat it every morning. I haven’t had it since--.” She stopped, only long enough for her eyes to drop back down to the bowl in her lap. She decided to start over. “I haven’t had it since I was a child.”

_ Oh _ . 

Dinah didn’t know what to say. This was a kind of hurt she was all too familiar with. She didn’t know what comfort, if any, she could give Helena. 

“Here,” She reached out with one hand, taking the bowl that Helena had been clutching so tightly. “Trade. I bet yours is soggy anyway.”

Helena seemed confused, but she didn’t object. Once the switch had been made, Dinah said nothing else. She simply began eating.

Helena was watching her out of the corner of her eye. After Dinah had taken a few bites, Helena followed suit. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Dinah could tell she felt a little embarrassed. 

Eventually, the silence between them became comfortable. Helena had relaxed, only slightly. Either way Dinah considered it progress. 

Helena lowered her spoon once, swirling it absentmindedly around the edge of the bowl.

“I feel like an idiot.” She admitted. “I just--I wasn’t expecting it.” Helena looked at Dinah and her shoulders slumped. “I’m not normally like this.”

“I know.” Dinah wanted to say more, but she couldn’t find the words. She just wanted Helena to know that she didn’t need convincing. Helena didn’t try again, so Dinah could only hope that it was enough.

She wanted Helena to know it was okay, that Dinah wouldn’t judge. Helena needed to know she could trust her. Dinah just didn’t know where to start.

By the time they both finished eating, Helena seemed better. She was smiling softly, and seeing it made Dinah glad. With the cereal gone, Dinah took the empty bowl from her and took it to the kitchen. She heard Helena stand up behind her, and it was Helena that put the cereal and milk away as Dinah washed the dishes.

When Dinah was through, she turned to find Helena standing nearby, watching her sheepishly.

Helena stared at her for a few seconds, eventually taking a step forward. She opened her arms slightly, like she wanted a hug. But she stopped short after a moment, her arms becoming stiff as they returned to her sides. Dinah saw her clench her fists together, then one hand slipped into the pocket of her sweatpants. When it came back out, it was clutching the purple car that Helena always carried with her.

Taking a deep breath, Helena steadied herself. “Thank you, Dinah. Stuff like this isn’t easy for me.”

“I get it.” She told Helena softly. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.” 

Helena held her gaze for a beat longer. She looked as if she wanted to say something else, but something kept her from it. Dinah thought she understood, better than anyone. Some things were just too hard to talk about.

“Get some rest, Helena.” Dinah finally said. “Okay?”

“Okay.” When Helena smiled this time, Dinah could see she meant it. 

They said goodnight and Dinah left Helena in favor of returning to bed. She wasn’t tired anymore, but she figured Helena would want some space. Dinah knew how hard it was to let yourself be vulnerable. 

_ I guess we’re both pretty bad at this. _


	3. Ocean Tides

Helena’s eyes locked onto the swaying target as it moved along the track against the back wall. She hesitated, stretching out her trigger finger. Its’ movement was erratic, unexpected. Helena studied it for several moments. Something was wrong. The other targets moved flawlessly, in predictable, steady motions. You could time them, if you paid close enough attention. Despite this consistency, Helena valued them for what they were. Shooting at stationary paper targets was boring and wouldn’t help  _ anyone _ .

But this target, in particular, was nothing short of frustrating. Its movement suggested that something wasn’t wired properly. Occasionally it would sway hard in one direction, leaning so far that it’s limp and floppy arms grazed the floor. The movement meant Helena had made a mistake.  _ That _ , in itself, was unacceptable.

Helena weighed the pros and cons of simply leaving it alone. It wasn’t that she  _ couldn’t  _ fix it, it was that it could prove to be beneficial. Somehow. Maybe.

Her ability to fix it was never the question. If given enough time, she could fix anything. Machines were simple, they were easy, they came with  _ instructions. _

It was people that gave Helena true pause. There were always too many words involved. Words were a tool for people to hide behind, a way to mask their true intentions. She was bad at understanding the subtleties involved.

Spending time with Dinah helped, to an extent. She was always willing to talk, despite how much or how little Helena added to the conversation. Helena couldn’t decide if that was simply because they lived together and Dinah wanted to be civil, or if it was something else.

She and Dinah had found an unspoken level of understanding. She was grateful that Dinah never pushed her to speak when there were no words. 

In the weeks that had passed since Dinah had moved in, Helena was slowly now beginning to understand. She had picked up on some of Dinah’s mannerisms, and especially on her body language, but it always came back to the words that tripped her up. Helena told herself she was  _ learning _ . She  _ wanted  _ to learn. She’d grown fond of Dinah, and even Renee. If there was anything she could do to make interacting with them easier, it would be done. Within reason.

She kept her eyes trained on the way the target’s body spun. There would be another sway. She wasn’t sure, but it felt like it was time. Taking a breath, Helena squeezed the trigger. The bolt struck true, burying itself in what would have been an enemy's skull. 

_ Perfect. _

Some days were easier than others. Today, Helena felt good about things. Her hard work had paid off. In a few days, she would formally bring Dinah and Renee into the warehouse to see what she had prepared for them. Helena had to admit she felt proud. 

The Birds of Prey would have a true base of operations now. It would be more effective for the trio to work from here. It was better than Renee’s kitchen. 

_ Anywhere  _ was better than Renee’s kitchen. Except, she thought,  _ her  _ kitchen. She’d never rest if Dinah and Renee set up shop there. It was bad enough that they did so at least once a week for dinner. 

She was still getting used to it.

Helena would be the last to admit she liked it, regardless of its truth. In an odd way, she found herself settling in. They were growing on her. Not that Helena would let them  _ know  _ that. She’d never hear the end of it. 

Helena sighed, placing her crossbow down on the table. She cut the power to the targets, freezing them into place. She went and retrieved each of her bolts one by one. When she came to the last target, she paused. It was malfunctioning, there was no question. Helena just had no way of knowing yet what caused the problem. Normally, she would tear it apart and analyze every single fuse to see where the problem lay. Today, she decided against it. It wasn’t hurting anything. She would fix it only if it became a problem. 

_ Baby steps. _

She gathered her things up and made one last lap through the building. She needed to cut the lights off and take stock of everything. They now had everything they could need. There was the shooting range, its soundproofing now near-perfect. Then there was what was best described as an armory, any weapon or piece of equipment that  _ could  _ be needed, Helena had found and purchased. They had ammunition, spare clothes, even somewhere to sleep if they were desperate enough. So long as they weren’t sporting bullet wounds, she even had first aid. Helena was extremely proud of the fruits of her labor, as far as this was concerned. The last thing she wanted was for them to be underprepared. 

Satisfied that everything was finally in its place and accounted for, Helena made her way to the exit. As the last of the lights went down, she grabbed her helmet and her keys to lock up. She still wasn’t happy with parking the motorcycle outside in the broad daylight, especially in this part of Gotham, but she was running out of choices. That would be her next project, she thought to herself.

But she had done enough work today. Now she only wanted to go home.

* * *

“ _ Where _ did Renee put my damn dress?!”

Dinah was talking to no one in particular as she threw her clothes on the floor.

_ It has to be around here somewhere. _

Renee hadn’t answered when she called, so Dinah had torn through her bedroom like a hurricane.

She was head first in the closet when she heard a knocking at the bedroom door. The sharp yelp of surprise escaped her against her will. She had been under the assumption that she was here  _ alone.  _ That meant little, knowing how quietly Helena moved around. 

_ If it’s not Helena, then I’ll be in trouble. _

Using the doorframe to right herself she pulled herself out of the closet and turned around.

“ _ What? _ ”

A moment later, to her relief, Helena poked her head nervously into the bedroom. “Is everything okay?”

“No,” Dinah roughly pushed her hair back and took a moment to catch her breath. “I don’t know where my dress is.”

It had been weeks since the move. Dinah  _ knew _ she had packed the dress. There’s no way she would have put it in storage. She had spent too much time looking for it already.

“A dress?” Helena arched her brow. “Why do you need it?”

“I was going to wear it tonight at the club. I got a new singing gig downtown.”

Helena glanced around the room, then nodded once. “Okay.” She slipped through the door and crossed her arms. “What does it look like?”

“Look, it’s in a black garment bag and--.” Dinah huffed. She couldn’t think straight. “If Renee would just answer her damn phone this wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Mm okay.” Helena stepped over the pile of discarded clothes and craned her neck to look in the bathroom. “I can help.”

“ _ Please.” _

Dinah returned to the closet, shoving some of the clothes out of the way and using the flash on her phone as a light, trying to see better.

_ I’m losing my fucking mind _ .

It wasn’t that she couldn’t wear something else, it was just that she didn’t  _ want  _ to.

She would use all the help she could get. When she reached the back of the closet with nothing to show for it, she sighed. She was running out of ideas.

“Dinah?” Helena called her name timidly from the bathroom. After a few seconds she emerged, holding the garment bag in her hands. “Is this it?”

“ _ Yes _ ,” Dinah tripped across the clothes in the floor as she tried to cross the room, “Where was it?”

“Um,” Helena watched her straighten herself up and then offered the dress to her, “It was hanging on the back of the door in here.”

Dinah brought one hand up to her temple and took a deep breath. “I’m going to scream.”

“I’ve seen what happens when you do that.” Helena looked genuinely concerned. “Please don’t.”

She took a moment to recover, then hung the bag on the closet door where she could see it. “I’ve made a fucking mess.”

“Yes.” Helena nodded, still looking at Dinah with apprehension. “Here.”

She bent at the waist, gathering the pile closest to the dresser up in her arms and lifting it onto the bed. Then, Helena began folding. 

“You don’t have to do that.” Dinah told her, “It’s my mess.”

Helena shrugged one shoulder, but didn’t stop. It was odd having Helena in her bedroom. As the weeks had passed they’d gotten better at talking, working, or even having dinner. But this was almost  _ intimate _ . This was Dinah’s room, and since she had moved in, Helena had  _ never _ come inside.

But Dinah wasn’t going to refuse the help.

Helena’s movements were quick and efficient, but there was a rhythm in her hands as she left Dinah’s clothes in neat little piles. Sighing, Dinah decided she couldn’t let Helena clean  _ everything _ , and knelt down to grab some of the things she’d thrown in the closet floor.

“You’re singing tonight?” Helena asked, “Is that what you said?”

“Yeah. A guy called me from downtown. I guess he saw me at Roman’s.”

A beat of silence passed before she heard Helena closing some of the drawers on the dresser. “Are you nervous?”

“What?” Dinah stepped back from the closet to look at her, not sure she had heard her properly.

Helena was painstakingly placing some of her shirts back into the dresser. “Are you nervous?” She repeated, not looking up.

“No, I’m not nervous.” The idea was ridiculous. She’d sung for Roman for years. Why would she be nervous now? “What makes you think that?”

Helena grabbed another stack from the bed, paying no attention to the way Dinah was staring. 

“This is the first time you’ve thrown your clothes on the floor.”

Putting one hand on her hip, Dinah looked at her in disbelief. 

“You don’t know that. You’ve never been in here before.”

Helena shrugged. “Okay. So you’re not nervous. That means you act like this regularly.”

“I don’t.” Dinah argued. “You know I don’t.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Is that all you’re going to say?”

“Yes.”

Dinah took a deep breath, stepping around the bed and snatching her clothes out of Helena’s hands. “If I  _ was _ nervous, what does it matter?”

“Just wondering.” Rolling her eyes, Dinah helped Helena finish filling the dresser. “What helps you relax?”

“It just goes away once I start singing, I don’t know.”

“Oh.”

Once the mess was contained to just the closet, Helena stepped back toward the door, out of the way. Now that there was nothing for her to do without having to go around Dinah, she looked uneasy.

“Where are you singing?” Helena met her eyes for the briefest of moments, then looked away. They were still working on it. It was a weird dance they had been doing, but Helena was slowly opening up more and more each day. 

“I can send you the address, if you want to come.” The idea was relieving. Seeing a familiar face would help tremendously. Dinah just didn’t want to be too obvious about it. 

“Maybe.”

“I already invited Renee,” Dinah added, thinking it might help convince her. 

“Before or after the dress thing?”

“ _ Before _ .”

Dinah saw a smile creeping onto Helena’s face. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

She knew that from Helena, that was as good as she would get. She’d started counting small victories. Helena seemed to  _ enjoy _ her company now. There were still moments where she would get confused, or uneasy, but Dinah was learning to steer around those. They had to live together, after all. That meant she had to make some compromises. 

Regardless, Dinah didn’t want to discuss her  _ nerves _ . It was disarming how Helena could see right through her. Dinah wasn’t used to being read so well. Either way, right now she wasn’t in the mood to be analyzed. 

“Good, I’ll see you later,” Dinah waved her off dismissively before Helena seriously considered picking up the mess in the closet. “I can handle it from here.”

“Are you sure you haven’t lost anything else. What about your shoes?”

“Not funny.”

Helena rolled one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. Glaring, Dinah pointed at the door. 

She could hear Helena chuckle under her breath as she stepped back outside and shut the door behind her.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set in the west, and Helena was strongly considering going home. She’d been roaming the streets of Gotham for nearly two hours now, cruising along on her motorcycle. It wasn’t that she was necessarily looking for trouble, but Helena had no doubt she would  _ find _ some.

Turning onto one of the side streets, Helena found a large white truck unloading boxes into a nearby garage. The truck was guarded by men with guns, donned with masks. The boxes, Helena saw, were labelled in big black letters: G.C.P.D.

Helena did not believe for a moment that the men were police officers. At the next intersection, she turned out-of-sight before she drew herself any unwanted attention.

She was  _ intrigued _ , but not enough to get involved alone. She waited until she was a safe distance away, then pulled off the road the first chance she got, and pulled out her phone. 

She sent a quick text to Renee.

“ _ How soon can you get here? _ ” With it, she sent a ping of her location. She gave no further explanation. Had the message come from Dinah, Renee would question it. With Helena, she would not.

It was a few minutes before she received a reply.

“ _ On my way. _ ”

When Renee arrived a few minutes later, Helena was pacing on the sidewalk. Renee hopped out of the car and jogged over, looking inquisitive.

“What’s going on?”

“On the other side of the block,” Helena motioned over her shoulder, “There are some guys unloading boxes into a garage. Judging from the labels the boxes are from the police department but these guys, well, you’ll see. I don’t think they’re affiliated.”

Renee narrowed her eyes. “What’s in the boxes?”

“I don’t know, I don’t have x-ray vision.” Helena deadpanned before she could stop herself.

“Not funny.”

Helena shrugged it off. “It could be anything. Weapons maybe?”

“It doesn’t matter. We’re going to find out.”

“Renee-.” This was not what Helena had planned, but she knew Renee wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Where’s Dinah? Have you called her?” Renee spoke over her shoulder as she walked away. Helena jogged a few steps to catch up with her, but Renee wasn’t slowing down. 

“No,” Helena started to explain, “She’s supposed to be singing-.”

“Leave her then.” Was all she got out of Renee.

“But-.”

“Trust me, she’ll be glad to sing again. We can handle this.”

_ Handling _ this was not what Helena had  _ wanted  _ to do.

“You wouldn’t have called me if you didn’t want to do something about it.” Renee said as if she’d read Helena’s mind.

Helena huffed but didn’t correct her. They both knew Renee was right. 

Helena took the lead then, turning the corner and retracing her steps back toward the garage. Crossbow at the ready, she knew she needed to expect a fight. What she  _ wasn’t  _ expecting was the first bullet that whizzed by her head as soon as they were within sight.

Helena could hear Renee swearing as she dove behind a parked car to avoid the hail of bullets. She made sure Renee was all right before peering around the bumper to get a better look.

“Got any ideas?” She heard Renee ask.

_ Things are already off to a great start. _

“No.” She wanted to be closer. More importantly, she didn’t want to be shot.

Renee didn’t need to wait on an idea. She pulled out her pistol and began firing back, from the safety of cover. Helena let out a sigh and decided she had no other choice but to follow suit. They’d already gotten in this deep.

* * *

Dinah cut the ignition off and let out a sigh as she leaned back against the seat. The churning in her stomach was something Dinah hadn’t felt in a long time. Helena had been right, she  _ was  _ nervous. It had been so long since being under the spotlight had brought that feeling out in her. Singing for Roman, she had grown so accustomed to the indifference that she treated it as nothing more than a job. 

But, the people who kept themselves in Roman’s circle hadn’t been there to hear her sing. They were there for things far more nefarious. Dinah had done well to keep her hands clean as long as she had, until Roman forced her to be his new driver. 

_ Maybe Oliver was right. I was bound to get dragged into it one way or another. _

It didn’t matter now. She told herself that Roman was dead. The only change she would have made was killing him sooner.

Dinah knew she would feel better once it was time for her to sing. She was always able to get lost in the music and cut her mind off for a little while. The nerves meant nothing. 

She held out a little hope that Renee and Helena would make it. In the grand scheme of things, it didn’t matter. Her feelings were stronger than that. Dinah thought it might be nice, all the same. It felt strange to admit, but she was getting used to having them around.

Dinah finally made her mind up to go inside. She wasn’t going to feel any better out here, and she needed to put her things away. She climbed out of the car and grabbed her dress out of the backseat. Dinah locked the car after she shut the door, but it was pointless. It wasn’t like there was anything in her car worth stealing anyway.

There was a security guard standing by the back entrance. When he saw Dinah walking over, he arched a brow and began watching her.

“Can I help you?”

“Yeah,” Dinah motioned at the bag she was carrying her dress in. “I wanted to drop my stuff off,” When he didn’t budge, she added: “I’m Dinah Lance, the Black Canary.”

Realization dawned on his face and he nodded, reaching to open the door for her.

“You’re early.”

“New place.” She told him. “I wanted to look around.”

He followed her inside, and she could hear him rummaging in his pocket. “Boss left me a key for the dressing room. Told me to give it to you.” 

“Thanks, where is it?”

He grunted and motioned for her to follow him. “I’ll show you.”

* * *

“Fuck.” Helena let the tire iron drop to her side as she finished prying the lid off the crate in front of her. It was full of explosives. Out of all the possibilities she had considered,  _ that _ had not been one of them. “Renee, look at this.”

Renee came to her side, her eyes widening as she saw what they had found.

“Holy shit. They’ll be looking for this stuff.”

“Yeah. How did they even get all this? Wouldn’t the police have all this locked down? Or in an armored car or something?”

Renee laughed and shook her head. “We learned the hard way armored cars draw attention. Normal people see security, but every bad guy in Gotham sees a big flashing sign that says ‘rob me’.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. They try to be more subtle about moving stuff like this. Still, doesn’t explain how these guys found it.” Renee shrugged, then dug around in her jacket until she had produced her phone. “I‘ve got a couple people on the force that still like me. I’ll make some calls and get this stuff picked up.”

“Fair enough.” Helena didn’t want to be anywhere near it. She wasn’t keen on the thoughts of stealing. Not like they needed it anyway.

“You’re bleeding.”

Helena glanced over as Renee spoke to her. It was  _ true _ , Helena knew that much. She was bleeding from several places. This was just a side-effect of letting a man with a knife a little  _ too _ close. Regardless, it was nothing serious. Considering the situation, she had half-expected to be shot.

“I’ve had worse.”

Renee’s frown told Helena that was probably not the response she had wanted.

“It’s fine--.” She started, then she remembered.  _ Dinah _ . “Shit, what time is it?”

“ Almost midnight, why?”

“Dinah is singing.”

Renee slapped her hand over her forehead. “Fuck! I forgot all about it.” She looked around at the group of guys they’d left restrained on the ground. The ones that had been left alive, anyway. “Look, you go. Go get cleaned up and go. I’ll stay here ‘til the GCPD comes. Someone’s gotta make sure the right people pick them up.”

Helena opened her mouth to argue, but Renee grabbed the shoulder of her jacket and spun her around. “ _ Go _ .” Renee insisted. “I’ll be fine.”

“But-.”

“Look, kid, one of us should be there. Don’t worry about me.”

Helena huffed but finally obeyed. She jogged over to her motorcycle and grabbed her helmet. She looked up and gave Renee a wave as the engine roared to life. 

Her first instinct told her to stop by the apartment to doctor herself up, but the now finished warehouse was much closer. 

At this time of night in Gotham, there was hardly any traffic, especially as Helena neared the docks. She didn’t mind in the least, this was much faster than having to weave in and out of cars. The wind whipped at her jacket harshly as she sped through the streets. There was something nice about riding through Gotham at night. The city was quiet, and at first glance it would seem peaceful. But Helena knew the truth. She tried not to dwell on the thought that there was always  _ someone _ lurking in the city with a lot of money and an even bigger ego to think they could get away with whatever they wanted. 

Tonight, Helena didn’t want that to be her problem. She only wanted to see Dinah.

She tried to park as close to the door as she could. She wasn’t planning on being here long. She was through the door and shedding her jacket within seconds. Helena flicked the lights on and jogged to the bathroom. She hadn’t expected to use the first aid equipment under the sink  _ this  _ soon, but it was good to know that her planning had already paid off.

She turned the faucet on and looked at her reflection in the mirror. There was a cut that crossed her cheek, and there was a trail of blood running down her face. Sighing, Helena pulled her shirt over her head and left it on the counter. All things considered, she’d made it out pretty well. She wet a washcloth under the flowing water and began using it to clean all the blood off. The only concerning injury she had was the jagged gash on her forearm. After a closer inspection, Helena didn’t even think she needed stitches. It was a pretty easy night, all things considered.

She rang the cloth out, the water now stained red as it washed down the side of the basin. 

Helena reached for the anti-septic then. She grit her teeth as she cleaned her wounds, doing her best to ignore the sting. The burning sensation faded with time as it evaporated on her skin. She was careful not to miss anything. Once satisfied that her wounds were clean, she began the slower process of bandaging them. She tore the new roll open and began eyeballing some rough measurements. She cut each piece with her teeth, laying them out one by one on the counter. 

Helena wanted to hurry, but there was only so much speed she could impart on such a process. It helped to have nimble fingers and sure hands. 

She gave herself another once-over in the mirror when she was finished. It would do. She grabbed a towel to dry her face, pleased to see the cut on her cheek was no longer bleeding. Then she pulled her shirt back on, packed everything back up, and left as quickly as she had come. She hoped she hadn’t wasted too much time already. 

Once seated back on her motorcycle she grabbed her phone. Dinah had texted her the address, as promised. All Helena needed was a general idea of where she was going. She paid no attention to the time as she took off across town. 

She was halfway there when a car pulled out of an intersection ahead of her. Helena pulled into the other lane, looking over as she passed them. In the driver’s seat, she saw Renee. 

Helena was almost past her when Renee looked at her. It took a moment for there to be recognition, but Renee did smile and wave. Helena leaned back and pulled the handlebars with her, grinning to herself as the front wheel of the motorcycle lifted off the ground. Renee blared the horn at her almost immediately. Helena laughed to herself, and as the wheel returned to the pavement, she sped on ahead. 

As fast as she was going, it didn’t take long to leave Renee in the dust. 

She didn’t slow down until she was closer to the nightclub. Here, the streets were more narrow, and she was much more likely to run over some drunken fool.

She found the nightclub easily enough. It had a neon green sign that flashed in a slow, lazy way. It stood out in the dark, outshining even the street lights overhead. 

Helena pulled into the next alleyway, looking for somewhere to park. Dinah must have the same idea, because it was down this same alley that she found Dinah’s car. Helena parked beside it, giving the car a quick glance to make sure no one had bothered it. 

She walked to the front of the building and let herself inside. There was a guard at the door but he paid her little mind, merely grunting as he let her through. Outside, the music had been muffled, but once Helena was through the doors she could hear it with all the volume and force that it intended.

Though she couldn’t make out the words, Helena could hear a smooth, silky voice crooning along with the music. It was intoxicating. Every syllable filled Helena’s head as she walked past the bar. She glanced at some of the people crowded around as she went along, searching for Dinah. From how nicely they were all dressed, Helena stuck out like a sore thumb. She didn’t mind, nor did they give her so much as a passing glance. Helena noticed that everyone seemed focused on the stage. Realizing this she made her way toward the back of the room so that she could see better.

She couldn’t find Dinah amongst the people, so she did her best to stand out of the way. From where she was standing, Helena could finally see the stage. It was there that she found Dinah. When she realized that the hypnotic voice filling her head was  _ Dinah’s _ , her heart could have stopped.

Helena had never heard her sing before. She felt her mouth hanging open but was too stunned to do anything about it. For a moment, she forgot where she was or that there was even anyone else in the room. There was only Dinah. Only her voice. 

Then, Dinah looked up. She had the microphone cradled in one hand as her eyes slowly dragged her gaze across the room. They stopped abruptly, pausing on Helena. This snapped Helena out of her stupor long enough to lift her hand in a wave. She wasn’t sure if Dinah even saw her. Dinah looked away after only a moment, her head bowing slightly as she sang. 

Helena tried to take in every second and commit it to her memory. 

Her voice was one thing, but the way she moved was another entirely. Helena now understood why she had caused such an uproar over a dress. Everything Dinah did now seemed both gradual and planned, yet somehow effortless. 

Dinah found her again moments later. This time it was slow, deliberate, the way Dinah looked at her. She was smiling, the dimple that decorated her cheek on full display. Helena’s throat suddenly felt dry, and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest.

She found herself very, very grateful that she had decided to come.

* * *

Singing felt different when people actually  _ paid attention _ . After so many years singing at Roman’s club as nothing more than beautiful background noise, Dinah couldn’t barely remember what it was like to have a captivated audience. But  _ this _ was different.  _ Here _ , Dinah felt all eyes on her. Roman wasn’t here to stalk her with his gaze, and she wasn’t buying her protection from the worst characters in Gotham just by being present. 

She couldn’t tell if it was the bright lights that brought the heat to her cheeks as she sang, but this feeling was something she was ill-used to. She caught herself scanning the crowd again, searching for Helena. The last time Dinah had caught sight of her she was standing near the back, out of the way. She was no longer there, a fact which caused Dinah more than a little worry.

It took some searching to find her again. Dinah had almost missed her. Helena had found an empty table and was sitting by herself. She was no longer paying attention, but Helena was smiling to herself, her head slightly swaying to the music. The heat Dinah had been feeling spread through her chest, fueled by relief.

As the song finally came to an end and the last note escaped her throat, Dinah was greeted by applause. Her stomach erupted with a flurry of butterflies and she couldn’t help but smile. 

She bit her lip subconsciously as she bowed her head to them in thanks. When she left the stage, the band continued to play, and she could hear the murmurs of conversations spreading through the building. Dinah ducked through the backstage door, heading down the darkened hallway that went behind the bar and took her to the dressing room. It wasn’t much more than a glorified storage closet, but Dinah wouldn’t complain. They’d given her a place to keep her clothes, and she had a mirror. As a whole, she’d already been treated better in one night here than she had in _years_ at Roman’s.

The privacy of the dressing room was a welcome escape. Looking in the mirror, Dinah could see her cheeks were flushed. She had to laugh at herself. This wasn’t her first performance, after all. 

_ I guess the environment really does make the difference. _

Her throat was dry, now, and it was hard to swallow. She’d have killed for a glass of water, or even something stronger. Right this second, Dinah didn’t have a preference, so long as it was cold.

She tried to focus on changing clothes. She couldn’t go get a drink until that was done. It would feel good to be in plain clothes. Dinah took care to hang her dress up and put it in the corner, smoothing the wrinkles out. 

She remembered hesitating before accepting the offer to come here. Now, she only wished she had said yes sooner. Even as she packed up some of her things, she still felt giddy. If she was being honest, she couldn’t wait to come back. She had always loved to sing, but when it was for  _ Roman _ , it had felt like nothing but a chore. It was hard to put her heart into it when she wasn’t happy. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see light as her phone screen lit up. Dinah swiped her finger over the screen and saw the text that had just come through from Renee.

“ _ Hope you knocked ‘em dead, Lance. Sorry I couldn’t make it.” _

Dinah smiled to herself and put her phone away. She could tell Renee about it later. 

She finished getting dressed and looked at herself in the mirror. She wouldn’t think about how messy her hair looked right now. It didn’t matter. What  _ did _ matter was that she looked  _ happy. _ She  _ felt  _ happy. 

Dinah made up her mind to go find Helena. 

_ She’s probably waiting on me _ . 

The club was supposed to close by two-thirty, so she still had plenty of time to drink. Dinah put the rest of her things away, stuffed her phone into her pocket and headed out the door. With the key she’d gotten from the security guard, she was able to lock the door behind her. 

Heading back down the hallway, Dinah rounded the corner and made her way to the door that opened up by the bar. Movement through the door's small window caught her attention. She had expected a guard, or maybe one of the bartenders to come through. But when the door opened, she saw only Helena. She had slipped around the security guard and made it through the door, with a bottle of water in her hand. 

When Helena saw her, her eyes lit up. The fluttering feeling returned to Dinah’s stomach, and she did all she could to swallow it down. 

“There you are,” Helena said, surprising Dinah with the smile stretching wide across her face. “That was  _ incredible _ . Why didn’t you tell me you had a voice like that?”

Dinah laughed. “You never asked.”

It was clear she had made some kind of impression on Helena. She looked at Dinah in awe for a moment before she glanced down and saw the bottle of water in her hand.

“Oh,” Helena’s voice went quiet, then she offered the water to Dinah. “Here, I thought you might be thirsty.”

Dinah took the water gratefully. “You have  _ no _ idea. Shit like this is why I wanted to quit smoking.”

Helena nodded along with that distant, knowing look that she seemed to have perfected so well. Dinah cracked the bottle open and brought it to her lips, her scratchy throat desperate for relief. For it to only be water, it was just as refreshing as she had hoped it would be, and best of all it was  _ cold _ . 

Helena was watching her in silence, but Dinah didn’t mind. With other people she would call it  _ staring _ , with Roman it had been  _ possessive _ . With Helena, though, it was none of these things. She had a way of staring  _ through  _ Dinah, but she never seemed to miss anything. Helena committed every detail to memory, it was something Dinah envied. It was just Helena’s way of understanding things, of getting to know Dinah better. 

The way Dinah saw it, the more Helena understood, the better things were. It went along with the trust. Dinah knew Helena and Renee had her back, they were a team. So she had learned quickly that it meant different things for each of them. Helena would  _ watch _ , then learn. Renee would simply  _ ask _ . 

Dinah was sure Helena was glad that Renee did most of the talking anyway.

She had almost downed the entire bottle when they spoke again.

“I needed that, Helena. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Helena’s smile had faded by now, and Dinah saw something on her face. “I’m glad I made it--.” She stopped talking when Dinah reached up and cupped her cheek in one hand. There was a cut stretching across her cheek, and as Dinah brushed the pad of her thumb across it, Helena tilted her head so Dinah could see it better. She was standing stiffly in front of Dinah now, and wouldn’t look at her. Still, she didn’t pull away.

“What’s this from?” Dinah asked, watching her carefully.

Helena cleared her throat. “I went out with Renee. I found some guys trying to hide stolen explosives—.”

“--and you guys didn’t  _ call  _ me?” Dinah couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. 

_ That _ got Helena to look at her. Dinah realized she was still holding Helena’s cheek in her hand, and she pulled her arm back slowly. 

“We didn’t want to ruin this for you.” Helena explained. “You seemed happy.”

Dinah glared at her, but Helena didn’t so much as flinch. “Whose idea was this?”

“Renee’s.”

_ Of course it was. _

“Well next time, I don’t care what’s going on, you  _ call  _ me. I will get over it. I don’t want you two having all the fun without me.”

Helena paused, thinking about it. “You’ll have to tell Renee.”

“Oh trust me,” Dinah rolled her eyes, “I will talk to Montoya.” The grin that brought out of Helena made it almost worth it. “Come on, this place closes in about an hour. I want a drink.”

Helena followed without complaint. The crowd had already begun thinning out, and the space was much quieter now. Dinah led Helena over to one of the now vacant tables and sat down. Helena stood just a step out of reach, looking around as if she was searching for something. Her brow furrowed as her head turned, and Dinah looked up at her expectantly.

“What’s that face for?”

Helena didn’t answer. Instead, she asked a question of her own. “What do you want to drink?”

“A whiskey sour would be nice.”

Dinah heard Helena repeat it under her breath, then she was gone. Dinah sighed and watched her make her way over to the bar. Dinah was a little envious of how smoothly her long legs carried her across the room. Even out of her element like this Helena masked any anxieties well. Once she had ordered the drink, she took a step away and folded her arms behind her back. It was a little funny to see her shift her weight from foot to foot absentmindedly as she waited. 

She only ordered the one drink, and as she turned around with it in hand, Dinah felt a smirk turning the corner of her lips. When Helena came back she placed a folded napkin on the table, gently setting the drink on top of it.

“Is this your peace offering?” Dinah teased.

Helena slid into the seat across from her, raising her eyebrow in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Dinah shook her head and brought the drink up to her lips. “You want me to yell at Renee instead of you?”

Helena was chewing on the inside of her cheek as she thought about what Dinah said. Dinah lowered the glass, looking at Helena over the rim.

“Did you have a good time?”

“When? Tonight?” 

“Yes.” She hated how  _ simply _ Helena sometimes answered her. 

Dinah huffed. She wasn’t going to lie. “Yeah, I did. It was nice.”

“Then why would you yell?”

Dinah pursed her lips together. Helena looked so serious. They stared at each other across the table, but there was a light dancing in Helena’s eyes. She finally cracked and let out a soft chuckle.

“ _ Fine _ .” Dinah swore. “You win. No yelling.”

Helena sat with her as she finished her drink, but her attention wandered to the room at large. She was relaxed, which left Dinah surprised. 

“Do you always like watching people?”

Helena didn’t look at her as she answered. Once again, it was simply: “Yes.”

“Why?” Dinah propped her chin in her hand, giving Helena her full attention.

Helena was watching the bar. The bartenders were starting to clean up and put things away.

Helena shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it.”

“You’re not just studying people to find their weaknesses, in case you have to kill them?”

Helena scrunched her face up, cutting her eyes at Dinah.

“No, that’s weird.” Dinah cackled, causing Helena’s expression to only worsen. “What kind of question is that?”

Dinah wiped her eyes and finished the rest of her drink. “More interesting than being nosy.” It was all she could offer in her defense. At least it sounded good. “You ready to go?”

“Why, so you can ask me something even  _ weirder  _ in private?”

Dinah rolled her eyes and pushed herself out of her seat. When Helena looked up at her, Dinah motioned for her to stand. 

“No more questions. Promise.” She held out her pinky, waiting. Helena looked her up and down, not even trying to mask her suspicion.

“Are we twelve?”

“Give or take a few years.” 

Helena finally relented, hooking their pinky fingers together. Dinah gave Helena’s hand a tug and Helena drug herself out of the chair with a grumble. 

“Come on,” Dinah let her hand go and began walking away. “Let’s go home.”


	4. Old Friends

As she usually did most days, Dinah found herself alone in the apartment. Helena woke up much earlier than her, and always found a way to disappear. What she did during the day, Dinah had no idea. It wasn’t something they spoke about. She knew, without question, that Helena would always return sometime in the late afternoon.

But Dinah had already left and returned to the apartment once. She had made a quick trip to the storage unit she kept a few blocks over, to retrieve a few more things she had been missing. It was early in the afternoon now, and once Dinah put her things away she went into the living room and curled up into her chair. She had planned on waiting for Helena to return to see what the plan was for dinner, especially since it was Renee’s night to come over.

Spread out on the coffee table she found a stack of letters, most of them opened. On top of the pile, she found what appeared to be an electricity bill. Curiosity got the better of her, and Dinah scooped it up off the table. The address was unfamiliar to her. It sounded familiar, but when she put it into her phone it showed up as being across the city, near the docks. 

_Is this where Helena goes to hide all day_? 

Whether it was or not, Dinah was going to find out. She gave up on relaxing and went to grab her car keys. If it was up to Helena, she wouldn’t be home for a couple more hours anyway. Dinah liked that predictability about her.

Keys in hand, she jogged downstairs and climbed into her car. Worst case scenario, she didn’t find anything interesting. Best case, well, she got to see Helena. Dinah couldn’t see that as being bad either way. 

Dinah was stopped at a redlight when her phone began to ring. She reached for her phone reflexively and turned it over. Glancing down, she saw the one name she hadn’t expected: Oliver.

In her confusion, she almost missed the light turning green. She sighed to herself as she let the car lurch forward, before she accepted the call.

“Hi, Oliver.’

“Pretty bird!” She could hear the surprise in his voice. _He didn’t expect me to answer_. Truth be told, she’d considered ignoring it. But they were still friends, weren’t they? “How are you?”

“I’m good,” She chewed on her lip as she spoke into the phone. She hadn’t heard from him in a year or more, what did he want now? “How’s Star City?”

“Oh it’s fantastic,” He laughed, “Always busy.” When Dinah hummed in response, he continued. “You never have made time to visit.”

It had been years since they broke up. Despite this, he had asked her many times to come to Star City for a visit. Dinah had refused each time, until he had eventually stopped asking. This time would be no different.

“I’ve been busy too, Oliver.”

“Oh I know.” She frowned. There was an airy quality to his voice. “I heard about Sionis.”

_That’s why he called_.

Singing in Roman’s Black Mask Club had brought the final wedge between them. Oliver had been insistent that Dinah could not simply _sing_ in such a place without eventually getting dragged into the thick of Roman’s empire. In the end, he had been right. But at the time Dinah hadn’t cared. It was an opportunity to sing again, regardless of Roman and his morals. There had been one too many arguments for them to recover. In the end, Oliver had left for Star City and had left Dinah in Gotham alone. 

They hadn’t seen each other since. Though Oliver had made several attempts to call her throughout the years. Each time he called was a test. One, to see if she was still trying to remain uninvolved in the power struggle over Gotham. Two, to try and convince her, as always, to come to him in Star City. He always thought she’d be happier there. The way Dinah saw it, it was black and white. They had each chosen their own path, and Dinah had no desire to go back to the way things had been.

“Yeah.” Dinah finally answered, her voice colder than she had hoped. “He’s long gone.”

“How’s the club?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’m somewhere else now.”

She was getting closer to the address now, she thought. She tried to focus her attention on the road, so she wouldn’t miss it.

“What’s wrong, pretty bird?” There was concern in Oliver’s voice. Her tone had not been lost on him. “You’re not usually this quiet.”

There was a script of typical answers she could give him here, if she wanted. Today, she didn’t feel like it. 

“You caught me at a bad time.” 

There was a pause, and as she waited for Oliver to speak, she caught sight of the street sign she needed. As she took the turn, she heard Oliver sigh.

“It seems it’s always a bad time,” He finally said.

He wasn’t wrong. He was a good guy, Dinah would never deny that. But she was still bitter. She hadn’t picked up the phone looking to start an argument, and she wouldn’t have one now.

“You’ve missed a lot of bad times, Oliver.” Dinah told him simply.

From the corner of her eye she caught sight of Helena’s motorcycle, parked another lot down, near an abandoned warehouse. Dinah pulled in without a second thought. 

“I want to fix that,” Oliver explained as she cut the car off and stepped outside.

She had heard that one before. He meant it, as always. But there were some things Dinah didn’t want to compromise to make that happen.

She walked around Helena’s motorcycle to get closer to the building, and tried the first door she came to. It was unlocked. Surprised, she let herself inside.

“Dinah?” Oliver asked when she didn’t respond, “Are you still there?”

“Yes.” She was too busy staring to answer him further. She found herself in a well-illuminated room, packed full of supplies, all sorted and arranged in an orderly fashion. It almost felt sterile, like a display. Oliver was talking again, but Dinah was no longer listening.

_Helena has been busy_.

But Helena was nowhere in sight. Dinah gave the occasional ‘mmhmm’, or ‘yeah’ as Oliver talked, only to let him know she was still on the line. The motorcycle outside was enough to tell her Helena was _here_ , and now she was searching for her. But this place was unfamiliar territory for her. 

As she moved along she found rooms further inside, some of them with doors wide open, where she could look inside. It became clear that Helena had meant for this to be their new base of operations, Dinah only wondered why Helena hadn’t said anything to her or to Renee. 

“You know, I was going to come to Gotham in a few weeks,” She heard Oliver say, “I’d love to see you.”

“We’ll talk about it.” It might be good to see him, after so long. But Dinah didn’t want him to get his hopes up. 

She found a door leading off the hall, a thin glass window running up one side. Dinah peered through the glass, and finally saw Helena. She had her back to the door, and was busy firing her crossbow at some targets across the room.

“Well I’ll let you know when I’m coming over-.” Oliver began as Dinah’s hand reached for the doorknob. 

Whatever he said next, Dinah never heard. She had no sooner opened the door when she felt a breath of air and found a crossbow bolt buried in the doorframe, inches from her face. She let out a yelp of surprise, dropping her phone to the floor.

Dinah’s heartbeat jumped into her throat as she found Helena. Helena still had her back to her, but was staring at Dinah over one shoulder, crossbow pointed at the door.

“Shit,” Dinah muttered, bending over to pick her phone up.

Helena, upon realizing it was her, dropped her crossbow onto the nearest table and quickly strode over to close the distance. Helena’s eyes glanced apologetically over her as Dinah brought her phone back to her ear.

“--Dinah?” Oliver’s worry was no surprise. “Dinah?!”

“I’m fine,” Dinah breathed, “Promise.” Helena was now standing _very_ close. Dinah’s heart was still racing as she looked and found Helena standing over her. Then, Helena leaned over and reached up to retrieve the bolt. “I’ll call you back.”

* * *

Helena could feel Dinah’s breath on her neck. She did her best to ignore it as she twisted her hand around the bolt she had buried into the door frame and gave it a tug.

“You missed.” Dinah murmured.

Helena grunted, yanking the bolt free and taking a much needed step back. Her face felt hot.

“I didn’t miss--.” She started to object. She _never_ missed. Dinah was staring at her. “Sorry. You snuck up on me.”

“That’s why you’re supposed to lock the door.” Helena wanted to say that she was probably scarier than anything that could walk in, but she didn’t. Instead, she shrugged and watched as Dinah stuffed her phone into her back pocket. “What is this place?”

“Our new base.”

Dinah crossed her arms, eyebrows raised. “The one you haven’t told us about?”

“It wasn’t done--.”

“Looks done to me.”

“- _yet_.” Helena finished with a huff. “How did you find out?”

A second later, there was a piece of paper being brandished in her face. 

“Power bill.”

Helena had left it on the coffee table. She snatched it, looking at Dinah and frowning.

“Nosy.”

Dinah gave her an innocent looking smile and shrugged. “Can’t help it.”

“I was planning on showing you guys this week.” Helena explained. “Guess we just have to tell Renee, now.”

“Oh she’s going to _shit_.” Dinah laughed. “Is this where you’ve been running off to every day?”

Helena was surprised that Dinah had noticed. “Yes.”

“So you’ve been busy. I’m going to text Renee and tell her to come over, is that okay?” Dinah asked. When Helena nodded, Dinah’s eyes came to rest on her crossbow. “In the meantime, can I shoot that?”

Helena stared at her blankly. “What?”

“Your crossbow.”

“You want to shoot it?”

Dinah shrugged one shoulder. “Might as well learn, right?”

“Okay.” Helena said. It seemed harmless enough. _The only person she can shoot is me_. The thought in itself brought her no hesitation. 

As Dinah pulled her phone out and began texting Renee, Helena moved to the table where she had laid out all the spare bolts and began the process of reloading the crossbow for Dinah. She finished before Dinah did, and stood waiting patiently. Then the phone was put away, and Dinah came to stand next to her.

“Renee is on her way.” 

Helena hummed, taking a step back so that Dinah could have a straight shot at any target she chose.

“Alright,” Dinah sighed, reaching to take the crossbow from Helena. “Aims like a gun, right? All I have to do is pull the trigger?”

Other than an ‘mmhmm’, Helena said nothing. She was interested in seeing if Dinah took to it on her own. Dinah gave her a disdainful look over her shoulder, but it quickly passed as she turned her attention to the range of targets before her. If anything, she looked determined.

The first shot hit a target to her left, somewhere in the hip. The second shot was slightly better, burying itself in what would have been an abdomen. Helena frowned, taking a step behind Dinah and leaning over her shoulder. Dinah was aiming too low. Helena reached around her, putting her hand over Dinah’s and steadying the crossbow. She gently guided Dinah’s hand upwards. The next shot landed squarely in the target’s chest. It was better. 

After that, Dinah didn’t need Helena’s assistance. But Helena made no effort to move. Dinah’s back was pressed against her chest, and from where she was looking over Dinah’s shoulder, she could smell the coconut in her shampoo. Helena tried to concentrate on Dinah’s shot, but the longer she stood there the more difficult it became. It wasn’t until the crossbow was empty that Dinah stepped away.

“I want to try again,” Her voice was firm with her determination. “How do you reload this thing?”

Helena felt herself release the breath she hadn’t known she was holding, reaching for the crossbow when Dinah offered it. She quietly showed Dinah how to open the cover, revealing the quiver inside that fed directly to the barrel. Once everything was loaded and back into place, she gave it back. Then Dinah was in front of her again, and Helena found it hard to pay attention. She took care to line up each shot just so, but it paid off. There was a consistency with how Dinah fired. Each bolt struck directly in the chests of each target, and by the third shot, she paused to glance back at Helena.

“No comments from the master?”

Helena stared. Her mouth felt dry when she shook her head and answered: “Could be faster.”

“Faster.” Dinah muttered under her breath. But to her credit, she did make an effort to speed up. With the speed, her shot wavered, and was not as centered as it had been before. 

The next time the crossbow was emptied, Dinah reloaded it herself. When she snapped the cover back into place, she merely offered it to Helena.

“Here.”

“You don’t want to go again?”

There was a mischievous gleam in Dinah’s eyes. “No. I want you to go, Helena ‘I don’t miss’ Bertinelli. All the ones on the back wall, fast as you can.”

“Alright,” Helena took the crossbow and looked at each target for a moment before she stepped up next to the table, leaning one arm against it to brace herself. “That’s easy.”

Helena, so used to the weight of her crossbow, immediately fell into a rhythm. Even as she squeezed the trigger, her eyes had already snapped to the next target and were just waiting for her arm to follow. The first three shots were all headshots, followed quickly by the fourth. But as her eyes went to the last target her mind was pulled away by the task at hand. This distraction was the sensation of Dinah lightly dragging her nails up Helena’s arm. Helena knew as soon as her finger squeezed the trigger what had happened. The bolt flew wide right, missing the target entirely and sticking itself in the padded wall. 

Helena cleared her throat and glanced over at Dinah. She was grinning triumphantly, and when Helena looked at her Dinah licked her lips. Helena felt heat rush to her face instantly. Her cheeks burned and she immediately looked away again and tried to busy herself by cleaning up. 

Dinah, mercifully, took a step back, laughing to herself. “I’m going to go outside and wait for Renee.”

Helena nodded without a word, walking around, slowly retrieving the bolts from each of the targets. As soon as Dinah shut the door behind her, Helena looked over to where she had been and let out a sigh.

_What has gotten into me?_

* * *

“Holy _shit_ .” Renee muttered under her breath as she spun around in a circle, looking at everything. “This is _ours_?” 

“Sure is.” Dinah nodded. Renee was just as impressed as Dinah had expected her to be. “Helena did all this by herself. Didn’t you, H?”

Helena looked up abruptly from where she had been staring at something on the wall. “Oh, uh, yeah.” She still seemed a little distracted, but her face was no longer vibrantly colored red. Dinah had to admit it was cute, seeing her get flustered. 

“You did good, kid.” Renee said, still in awe, “Damn good.”

Helena had already given Renee a quick tour, but Renee was still staring. A few weeks of work had been put to good use, that was for sure. 

“I have keys for you guys,” Helena said, as if she’d finally found something new to say. “I want to install a real security system but…” She trailed off, the crease in her forehead telling that she was thinking of something else entirely. “Doesn’t matter.” She finally shook her head. “Keys for now.”

“I figure I’ll spend a lot of time here,” Renee remarked without paying Helena much mind. “Better than your apartment, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah but you’re still coming over for dinner,” Dinah teased.

Renee laughed. “Sure! Who’s cooking tonight?”

“That’s all Helena.” Dinah looked across the room at her as she spoke. Helena held her gaze for only a moment before she quickly looked away again. “It’s about time she had her turn.”

“Okay.” Helena murmured.

“About time. It has to be better than the meatloaf.”

“Hey.” Dinah immediately took offense to that. “Helena _liked_ my meatloaf.”

“Bertinelli you _liked_ that shit?” Renee asked.

Helena, mouth hanging open slightly, stared between the two of them. “.....yes? But that’s because you don’t like _anything._ ”

Dinah covered her mouth and burst into laughter. She could hear Renee laughing too, despite herself.

“Fuck you guys.”

When the laughter died down, Helena began her escape. “If I’m cooking dinner, I’m guessing I should go get started on that.”

“I’ll come with you,” Dinah offered. “I need to make sure you don’t burn the building down in the process.”

Helena stared at her, her expression blank. “Ha.”

“I’ll stay here,” Renee said. “Gotta get used to everything.”

Helena nodded, digging through her pocket and retrieving a set of keys. “I’ll leave you my key. The others are at home. Just lock up when you come over.”

After getting Renee’s promise to do exactly that, Dinah followed Helena outside. She wordlessly climbed onto her motorcycle, though Dinah could feel Helena watching as she walked to her car. Dinah was surprised when Helena let her pull out first, instead falling into pace behind Dinah in the road on the way home. She had half-expected Helena to speed off at the first opportunity.

It wasn’t until now, though, alone in her car, that Dinah remembered Oliver. She fished her phone out of her pocket, quickly dialing his number. She _had_ promised she’d call back. 

He answered before the first ring had finished. “ _There_ you are.” His relief was apparent. “If you had waited much longer I would have had to come looking for you.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “You know I can handle myself.”

“Still, you had me worried.”

“ _Anyway_ , what were you saying earlier?”

“Dinah--.”

“ _Ollie._ ”

He sighed and went quiet. She took his silence as him trying to remember. “Oh, I was telling you I’d be coming to Gotham in a few weeks.”

“I remember.” 

“I was thinking maybe we could get dinner or something.”

_That_ , she didn’t remember agreeing to. “This is not a date, Oliver.”

“I never said it was,” His voice was gentle, not defensive like she had expected. “Unless you want it to be.”

“I never said _that_. If you want to come see me, fine. But that’s all.”

“Pretty bird, that hurts my feelings.” Dinah rolled her eyes as he spoke. It was a shame he couldn’t see her do it. “What’s wrong with dinner?”

Dinah huffed, glancing in the rearview mirror. Helena was still behind her, riding closer than most people would have felt comfortable. But Dinah was confident Helena knew what she was doing.

When she didn’t answer, Oliver continued. “Fine, no dinner. Can I come see you at your place?”

“If that’s what you want to do, I’ll send you the address.”

“Don’t sound too enthusiastic.”

Dinah let out a sigh. “Do you really think it’ll be any different now? Do you really _want_ us to waste our time?”

“I don’t think it’s a waste.”

“That makes one of us.”

“ _Dinah._ ”

“Look,” She was gripping the steering wheel tighter than she meant to. She knew she was still bitter, but that was _her_ problem. “We’re friends, Ollie. That’s it. I’m not going to pretend that you’re going to show up and everything will be fine. That’s not how it’s going to go.” He was silent, for a moment, so she continued. “I just don’t want you coming back to Gotham expecting it to be like it used to be. It’s not like that anymore.”

“Are you happy?”

That wasn’t the first time since she’d known him that he had asked that question. It took her by surprise each time, but this time, she could answer honestly. Helena had pulled into the lane next to her, and when Dinah looked over at her, Helena waved. 

Dinah smiled. “I am, Ollie. I will be.”

“Then that’s good enough for me. I’ll see you soon, okay? Don’t forget to send me that address.”

“I won’t.” Dinah promised. 

* * *

“Renee is here,” Helena said, not looking up from the kitchen counter. She was putting the final touches on dinner, and figured Renee could let herself in.

“How do you know?” Dinah asked from the kitchen table where she had been supervising.

“I can hear her coming up the stairs.”

She could see Dinah in the corner of her vision. Dinah turned in her chair and looked toward the door, listening.

“I don’t hear shit, H.”

“ _Listen_.”

She watched as Dinah furrowed her brown with concentration. By then, Renee was almost to the door, and the way she stomped upstairs was apparent.

When Renee knocked on the door, Dinah looked at Helena and shook her head. “You ain’t right.”

Helena shrugged, but found herself smiling as she turned back to the food and heard Dinah beckoning Renee to come inside. 

“You better have that food ready, Bertinelli,” Renee grumbled the moment she walked through the door, “I’m starving.”

“Almost.” Helena muttered.

Then, Renee was at her shoulder, peeking around her to see what she was doing. “What’s for dinner?”

“Tacos,” Dinah answered for her. “Don’t they smell amazing?”

“What is it with you people and tacos? Do you eat anything else?”

“Sometimes.” Helena shrugged. “Not today.”

Renee huffed, but gave Helena’s shoulder a pat before she went to sit with Dinah. “Guess I can’t complain, I don’t have to cook.”

“Plus it’s free,” Dinah added with a laugh, “You’d be an idiot to turn down free food.”

The pair sat at the table and talked as Helena finished up the food, even as she set the table. Helena tuned them out, for the most part. Their presence was a comfort, even if she was not much for conversation herself. 

Once the food was on the table, all conversation died down to a minimum. They were too hungry to say much. Helena was grateful that these meals together had begun to become regular occurrences. It was good to feel like she once again had family here in Gotham. 

This comfortable dinner was interrupted only by the sound of more footsteps in the stairwell. They were footsteps that Helena did not recognize. Upon hearing them she grew still, and her head snapped up to listen better. 

Dinah had noticed the change in her demeanor and had stopped eating. “What is it?”

Helena wordlessly pushed herself up from the table and started toward the door. Helena didn’t know who, or what, she expected, but when the door swung open she still found herself surprised. There stood Cassandra and Harley, who had unceremoniously thrown the door open and let herself inside. 

“Killa!” Harley said with a toothy grin when she saw Helena standing there, “How are ya?” 

Harley was already stepping around her and toward the table before Helena could speak. Cass, however, remained in the doorway. She waved when Helena gave her a puzzled look.

“Cass!” Dinah exclaimed, rushing from the table to hug her, “What are you guys doing here?”

“We were in the neighborhood,” Harley explained, plopping down into Helena’s seat and looking at the table. “Looks like we’re just in time for dinner.”

Helena looked helplessly at Renee, who only shrugged. Then she turned to Dinah, who had wrapped her arm around Cass and was shutting the door.

“Come sit down and get some dinner, kid,” Dinah told her as she led Cass to the table. 

Once Cass was settled, Dinah pulled up a couple more chairs and went to get some clean plates. Harley had already begun to dig in. When Dinah came back to the table Helena didn’t miss the pointed glare she gave Harley. She had taken one of the tacos off of Helena’s plate. Barely a second passed before Dinah saw and snatched Helena’s dinner plate off the table. Harley had a taco in hand, about to take a bite, when Dinah reached out and grabbed that too. The taco was returned unscathed to Helena’s plate, while Dinah continued to glare at Harley and shoved a clean plate toward her. Dinah put Helena’s plate down next to her own, then went fussing over Cass. Helena sat beside her with a quiet huff, glancing over at Harley as she resumed eating.

“Surprised to see you two back so soon,” Renee said, breaking the silence. 

“We were getting bored,” Harley answered. “Figured we’d come see what our favorite do-gooders were up to.”

“Without you getting us into trouble? Not much.”

“Aww, just say you missed us.”

The way Renee laughed said she wouldn’t be admitting it any time soon. Harley didn’t seem to mind the lack of response, wolfing down a few more tacos. As far as Helena could tell, she and Cass were far more interested in eating than catching up. Dinah, however, was curious.

“How long are you guys staying?” She was looking across the table at Harley, her expression unreadable. 

Harley shrugged. “Until we get bored again, probably.”

“Okay,” Dinah nodded, “Then _where_ are you guys staying?”

Harley stopped eating then, looking around the apartment at large. “Uh, here?”

“I don’t think so. We don’t have room.”

“--got more room than me,” Renee interjected.

“Oh come on,” Harley pouted, looking at Dinah and Helena each in turn. “You guys got plenty of space.”

“Please?” Cass added, looking up from where she was sitting next to Dinah, “We missed you guys.”

Dinah sighed loudly, looking at Cass before she turned to Helena. Her lips were pressed together tightly, and Helena knew Dinah expected _her_ to make the decision. As if it was Helena’s to make in the first place.

“You can stay here,” Helena began slowly, “If you promise to stay out of trouble.” She finished with a pointed look at Harley, who only grinned. “We can figure out the space later.”

“Aww, Killa,” Harley cooed, “I knew you were a big ol’ softie.”

Helena felt her eyes roll. “Don’t get used to it.”

* * *

It had not taken much argument to figure out who was sleeping where. Renee had quickly made an exit after dinner, not wanting to get caught up in any of the mess that was about to unfold. Dinah had offered to share her bed with Cass without hesitation. Harley had not made much fuss about taking the couch, though Dinah felt bad that it had been Helena who had gotten stuck sleeping on the floor. It had been a group effort to make the living room floor as comfortable as possible as a compromise. Despite Helena’s protests that it wasn’t needed, Dinah and Cass had piled every spare pillow and blanket they could find into the floor with her. 

Then they had all sat in the living room together, watching whatever Harley could find on the television. It had been nice, Dinah had to admit. Harley had curled up in her armchair, leaving the couch open for Dinah to sit with Cass. Helena had reclined on the floor, her back against the couch. More than once, her shoulder had brushed against Dinah’s leg. They had sat that way for a long time, until Cass started dozing, her head bobbing against Dinah’s shoulder.

Not long after that, Dinah sent her to bed. She had followed herself after a few more minutes. 

Now Dinah found herself awake, in the middle of the night. She wasn’t sure if Cass had kicked her or had simply turned over, but now Cass was taking up most of the bed.

Either way, Dinah was now awake. The television was still on in the other room, she could hear the muffled noise through the wall. Eventually, she surrendered the bed to Cass and went to see if Harley and Helena were awake too. She was silent as her bare feet hit the floor. 

The entire apartment was dark, save for the light the television provided. Dinah walked over to the couch and looked down to find Harley laying face down, snoring quietly. Helena was laying on her back, arms folded across her stomach, head resting against the couch. Her attention on the television. Whether she heard Dinah or merely felt her presence, Dinah only stood there for a few seconds before Helena craned her head backwards and looked up at her.

“You’re up?” Helena asked quietly.

“Kid’s hogging the bed.” Dinah laughed.

Helena nodded once, sliding one hand onto the pile of blankets next to her. She gave the spot a pat, looking at Dinah expectantly.

Dinah took the invitation and moved around the couch, careful to step over Helena’s legs. It took a little bit of work to rearrange the bedding, but once everything was just so Dinah plopped down next to Helena and stretched out her legs. 

“Anything good on?” She asked, nudging Helena’s arm.

“No. Some old mafia movie.”

Dinah couldn’t help but tease her. “Studying to take over Gotham, Bertinelli?”

Helena looked at her, and Dinah could see in her eyes that Helena was trying to determine if it was a joke or not. Dinah realized too late that considering the Bertinelli’s had once tried to do just that, Helena could take it the wrong way. Instead after giving it a few moments of thought, Helena bit her bottom lip and began nodding.

“Yeah,” She said with a slight smile, “Just, you know, without the bad accent.” Helena paused, looking down at her lap. “My parents didn’t sound like that, Sal doesn’t either.”

“Sal?” Helena hadn’t mentioned him before.

“My...uncle. He’s the one who smuggled me out of the city when--.” She stopped, sighing loudly. “You know.”

“Oh,” Dinah said quietly. Helena was still looking down, as if she was trying to avoid Dinah’s gaze. But then, to Dinah’s surprise, she reached over and took one of Dinah’s hands in her own. Dinah let their fingers intertwine before giving Helena’s hand a light squeeze. “Do you talk to him often?”

Helena gave her a sidelong glance. “I try to talk to my uncles every day, if I can. Some days it’s hard, with the time difference. I try to wake up early.”

Dinah found herself absentmindedly brushing her thumb against Helena’s hand. Helena didn’t seem to mind, letting her attention go back to the television. It was a far cry from how nervous she had acted earlier, though there was still color to her cheeks.

“No bad accents, huh?” Dinah asked, watching with her. “Anything else different?”

“I wasn’t old enough to know,” Helena shrugged, “I imagine most of it.”

“Do all the cops sound like Renee?”

Helena’s head dropped slightly as she tried to bite back the grin that was spreading across her face. Finally, Dinah heard her laugh. “Yes.”

“ _Perfect_.” 

“Have you seen many of these movies?” 

“A few,” Dinah replied honestly, “But if you’ve seen one or two, you’ve basically seen all of them. The story’s always the same.”

The hum that escaped Helena was more for herself than for Dinah. She had a few stray strands of hair hanging down in her face, and Dinah had to resist the urge to reach up and brush them away. Instead, Dinah moved away from the couch just enough to lay down fully on the floor. Helena’s fingers were still laced between her own, and Dinah found the warmth of her hand comforting as she closed her eyes. She could hear the movie going on in the background, and did her best to keep up with what was happening over the sound of Harley’s snoring. At least, until the noise began to blur together and she began to fall asleep.

  
  



	5. A Child Within

“Psst.”

Helena took a deep breath, her eyes still closed, and tried to go back to sleep.

“Psssst.”

Helena finally relented, opening her eyes. Harley was leaning over the edge of the couch, peering down at her.

“What?” Helena whispered.

Harley flashed her a toothy grin, seemingly pleased that Helena had woken up. “You guys are  _ gross _ .”

“What are you talking about?”

Harley gestured vaguely toward Helena without elaborating. Helena rolled her eyes and looked down. 

Dinah was pressed into her side, their arms still tangled together. Helena remembered. They had fallen asleep holding hands. Their fingertips still brushed together, but Dinah was now much closer than Helena remembered her being. 

Helena wouldn’t have minded, but Dinah was so  _ very  _ close, and more importantly Harley was  _ here _ . If she hadn’t been around, Helena might have tried to sleep just a little longer. But Harley was not so easily ignored.

“Have fun gettin’ outta that one, Killa.” Harley winked, unfolding her legs and standing up. She sauntered off to the kitchen, leaving Helena alone in her current predicament.

Had it only been their  _ hands _ , Helena would have had no problem extracting herself. But now it was their arms, Dinah’s weight pressed against her, and the way Dinah’s leg stretched out over one of her own. Helena was  _ stuck _ . She closed her eyes and sighed. There would be no getting out of this without waking Dinah.

_ She’s so warm _ .

Helena didn’t even mind that they were on the  _ floor _ . The nest of blankets and pillows that Dinah and Cass had constructed the night before was comfortable enough. Plus the steady rhythm of Dinah’s breathing in her ear told Helena that even Dinah had found rest here. She simply didn’t  _ want  _ to wake her. Not now.

Finally, Helena cleared her throat. “Dinah?” She said it softly, at first. When she received no response, she repeated herself. This time, shaking Dinah’s arm. “Dinah, wake up.”

The hitch in Dinah’s breath told Helena that she had been successful. She yawned and opened her eyes, her confusion mingling with the sleepiness in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um…” Helena tried to think of a way to explain it. Thankfully, instead, Dinah stretched out, frowning when she realized how close they were.

“ _ Oh _ .” Dinah was quick to remove herself, and when she sat up she pushed her hair out of her face. “Sorry.”

_ Don’t be. _

“It’s fine,” Helena managed to say. “Just Harley.”

Had Harley not been a factor, Helena couldn’t say she would have complained at all. But once she was free of Dinah she pushed herself up onto her feet and stretched. Harley had moved to the kitchen, Helena could hear her rummaging around behind them. Ignoring her, for now, she held her hand down to Dinah. 

When Dinah took it, Helena pulled her to her feet but couldn’t bring herself to look at her. 

“I’ll go get Cass.” 

Helena nodded and stepped out of Dinah’s way. As Dinah disappeared into the bedroom, Helena went into the kitchen. Harley had thrown open every single cabinet, including the pantry, and was currently bent over with her head buried in the fridge.

“What’s for breakfast, lovebird?” Harley asked.

“Lovebird?” It was the first time Harley had called her that. Helena had just started getting used to ‘Killa’. 

“Yeah, you know.” Harley said, standing upright and clutching a carton of eggs. She looked Helena up and down as she continued. “Cute little...parrots? Pretty colors. Bonded pairs and all that.” She finished this with a sly nod toward where Dinah had once been, biting her bottom lip. “Ya follow?”

Helena thought she did, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to.

“So,” Harley continued despite her silence. “You want a  _ professional _ psychological evaluation? You up for that today?”

“Um,” Helena stuttered. “No?”

Harley shrugged, rather abruptly. “K. I lost that license anyways. But if you ever need advice-.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

Thankfully, Dinah emerged soon after that, followed by a tired-eyed and grumpy Cass. Helena smiled, but reached to take the eggs from Harley before she got any ideas. Helena didn’t trust her cooking, there was still the chance the building could burn down. 

“What do you guys want for breakfast?” Helena asked as Cass slumped into a seat at the table and laid her head down on her arms. “Eggs, bacon? Anything special?”

“Not cereal.” Cass muttered.

“I can do not-cereal.” 

Harley moved around the counter, sidling up next to Dinah as Helena busied herself with cooking breakfast. 

“What do my favorite little do-gooders have planned today?” Harley asked in a sing-song voice.

“Nothing.” Helena heard Dinah say. “Unless something comes up, we’ll probably just hang with you guys.”

She heard Harley gasp. “Ya mean you guys are just gonna stay here and act all domestic? Ew”

“You got a better idea?” Dinah challenged.

Helena looked over her shoulder to find Harley leaning her chin on her hand, full body propped against the kitchen counter. She was staring at Dinah with her face scrunched up.

“Mmm. No.” She tapped her cheek with her fingers and sighed. “We can go to the beach.” Harley finally offered. “What about that?”

“Sure,” Dinah shrugged. “I’ll call Montoya. What do you think, kid?”

The three of them all looked at Cass, who still had her face buried in her arms. 

“Cass?” When she heard Dinah say her name, Cass gave them a thumbs up. “Is that all we’re getting?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Okay,” Dinah laughed. “ _ After _ somebody wakes up some more.”

* * *

Dinah had to admit, she was surprised that they had convinced both Renee  _ and  _ Helena to come to the beach with them. Dinah had needed no convincing. The weather was nice, and the sun breathed a welcoming warmth onto her skin. Renee’s car was already there when they pulled into the parking lot across the street. Helena craned her neck as she climbed out of the car in an attempt to look for her, but Dinah waved her off. 

“Forget it, H. We’ll find her.”

Helena only huffed in response, before moving to the trunk to grab the towels Dinah had brought along. By the time she had done so, Harley and Cass were already halfway across the street.

“Come on, speedy,” Dinah teased, taking Helena by the wrist and pulling her along. “We gotta find Montoya.”

The beach was not as crowded as Dinah had expected. They found Renee, who had staked out a claim on one of flatter and admittedly cleaner stretches of beach. Renee had brought a folding chair, and was lounging around, flask in hand. She had also brought along a cooler, which is where Helena deposited the stack of towels after a quick ‘hi’.

Dinah was satisfied with the spot Renee had picked, though it wasn’t as close to the water as she would have liked. Regardless, she began undressing down to the bikini she had worn under her shorts and top. As she pulled the shirt over her head she heard Renee let out a whistle.

“Eat your heart out, Montoya.” Dinah laughed, chucking the shirt at her. 

“Maybe if I was younger,” Renee teased. 

Helena cleared her throat, but looked like she was trying to look anywhere  _ but  _ Dinah. Renee wasn’t the only one who had been watching. Harley stood nearby, grinning and bright eyed as she looked at Dinah’s chest.

“Ooh,” Harley said, making a grabbing motion with her hands, “Gimme.” Reflexively, Dinah took a step back. But before Harley could close the distance, Helena had snatched her wrist, pinning her arm behind her back. “Ow, Killa! Take it easy! I just wanted to give ‘em a squeeze.”

Helena’s face had turned crimson, but Dinah couldn’t help but find it a little endearing. At hearing Harley’s complaints, Helena seemed to snap out of it. She released Harley and took a step back, sputtering.

“Sorry,” Helena muttered, “Reflexes.”

“Jesus,” Harley pouted, rubbing her wrist. “Meanie.”

Renee was cackling. This didn’t help Helena’s color, and after grumbling another ‘sorry’ and making sure Harley wasn’t hurt, she walked a few feet away and plopped down in the sand. 

There were no hard feelings, because after pouting for a few seconds Harley simply gave Dinah a wink and then bounced off toward the water and Cass. Dinah rolled her eyes and grabbed a towel and the bottle of suntan lotion she had brought. She spread the towel in the sand next to where Helena was sitting, and began applying her lotion to her legs.

“Working on your sunburn?” Dinah asked, glancing at Helena’s still-flushed cheeks.

Helena was making a point not to look at her. “I don’t burn.” She grumbled. She had her arms wrapped around her knees and was watching Cass and Harley in the water.

“Okay,” Dinah chuckled. 

She busied herself with the rest of the lotion, trying to rub it in as evenly as possible. She caught Helena giving her a few looks out of the corner of her eye, but otherwise Helena said nothing. 

“Will you help with my back?” Dinah asked, offering Helena the bottle, “I can’t reach.”

When Helena took the lotion from her, Dinah knelt down on the towel next to her and pulled her hair out of the way. There was a moment of hesitation, but then Helena’s hands were on her back, massaging the lotion into her skin. It felt very precise, and Dinah was a little disappointed that Helena didn’t let her touch linger any longer than necessary. 

Helena cleared her throat when she was finished, so Dinah let her hair down and laid on the towel. 

“Girl you are gonna have some janky ass tan lines,” Renee commented from her chair.

Dinah looked over at her and arched her brow. “So? Who’s going to see them?” Renee lowered her sunglasses and gave Dinah a knowing look. Then Renee slyly cut her eyes at Helena and smirked. “Shut up, Montoya.”

“Mmhmm.” Renee was grinning as she pushed her glasses back up and reached for her flask.

Dinah wasn’t  _ opposed  _ to the idea, but Renee didn’t need to know that. She glanced over at Helena, but she thankfully seemed to have missed it. At least her face wasn’t quite as red now. 

“Will you do me a favor, H?”

“Hmm?”

“Remind me to turn over in about twenty minutes. I’d ask Renee but at this rate she’ll be drunk by then.”

“I heard that, Lance.”

Dinah gave Helena a wink and grinned. Helena looked at the pair of them with a confused expression. Whether Helena understood she was joking or not, she wasn’t sure. But Helena would figure it out on her own.

She lay her head back with a huff and closed her eyes. The sunlight spread over every inch of her skin, drowning her in its warmth. Dinah couldn’t hardly remember the last time she had come to the beach just to lay out and enjoy the sun like this. She very rarely wanted to come alone. Especially when she didn’t want to have to deal with every creep in Gotham who wanted to come get an eye-full.

But this, this was nice. She could hear Harley and Cass laughing in the water, she knew Renee was close by, keeping a shaded eye on everyone coming and going. Then there was Helena. Dinah cracked an eye open and peered over at her. Helena was watching Harley and Cass. Someone needed to. Dinah didn’t mind that Helena’s attention was elsewhere, it usually was, she was more upset that Helena’s cheeks were losing their blush. 

Dinah would be a fool to deny there wasn’t  _ something _ between them. They had grown closer, she knew that. But there was something in the way Helena looked at her, the way Helena sought her out before anyone else. Eventually, they would have to sit down and talk about it. But here was neither the time nor the place. 

Dinah slid her hand across the sand until her fingers brushed against Helena’s. The jerk in Helena’s shoulder showed that the movement startled her, but she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she placed her hand palm up next to Dinah’s in invitation. Dinah let her fingertips glide across Helena’s palm before she folded her hands together. The soft smile that crossed Helena’s lips made it worth it. For a moment Dinah could let herself forget everything and just relax. 

_ We should do this more often _ .

* * *

“It’s time for you to turn over.” Helena had been keeping track of the time dutifully, though at first glance Dinah seemed to be asleep. She squeezed Dinah’s hand, trying to decide if Dinah had heard her.

She apparently  _ had _ , because she pulled her hand away from Helena and turned over. Helena thought she heard a ‘thanks, H’, but she couldn’t be sure. She started to ask if Dinah wanted her to remind her again, but stopped when Dinah reached behind her back and untied the straps of her bikini top. She then folded her arms under her head, her eyes still closed. 

Any thought Helena had disappeared as her eyes took in Dinah’s bare back. From the tattoo of the canary on her shoulder they travelled slowly, lower and lower.

_ You’re staring _ .

Helena jerked her gaze away, instead searching for Harley and Cass. She didn’t want to think about how smooth and soft Dinah’s skin looked. Harley and Cass were no longer in the water, but had moved up the beach a little closer to Renee. Harley had found a volleyball, likely left by one of the nearby nets. But Cass was in the sand, pushing the sand in toward the center of a semi-circle she had formed, slowly creating a mound there. Confused, Helena moved closer, watching her to see if she could figure out what Cass was up to.

Helena could remember making sandcastles on a few occasions when she was younger, but this was different. 

“What are you doing?” Helena finally asked.

Cass never looked up. “Making a hill. I wanna see how big I can get it.”

“....Why?”

A shrug came before Cass glanced up at her. “It’ll be fun to step on.”

_ That _ Helena had never understood. No matter how carefully she had built her sandcastles as a child, her brother Pino had always barrelled his way through them. They hadn’t taken many trips to Gotham’s beaches that she could remember, but she did remember Pino’s laughter as he had stomped the last remnants of her sandcastle into nothing. Helena could never be mad at him, he was only doing what the tide would do later. It made no difference. 

This, however, seemed like more work without a bucket and a shovel. But Cass didn’t seem to mind. With a sigh, Helena moved to the other side of the accumulating pile and began scooping up handfuls of sand and tossing them over.

Helena could feel Renee’s eyes on them as they worked. She was watching from behind her sunglasses, having retrieved a beer from the cooler. Harley was watching too, but in the mischievous way she had seemed to master. 

Helena was surprised when she put the ball down and joined them. She had fully expected Harley to assist with the  _ destruction _ , but not the actual preparation. 

They didn’t stop until the sand was packed higher than Cass’ knees. When Cass finally stopped, Helena stood straight and wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. 

“There.” Cass said proudly. “That should be good.”

As if Harley needed any further instruction, she climbed on top of the hill they had made and stomped her foot down as hard as she could. Giggling, Cass joined her. 

Helena would have been content to simply watch. But then Cass held her hand out for Helena to take, and Helena just couldn’t bring herself to refuse. 

Harley had begun kicking the sand when Helena let Cass pull her up between them. Helena did her part to help, smiling when she dug her toes into the sand. The sound of Cass’ laughter caused her heart to swell. Helena could only think of Pino, and the way his whole body shook with his laughter each time he toppled her sandcastles. Despite the years, she could still picture the disapproving look their mother had always given him.

The hand on her arm kept Helena grounded. Cass was holding onto her in order to keep her balance. Helena had spent so much time living with her mind in the past, but she realized that this - being here, now - was going to become a new memory of its own. 

“You guys have made a fuckin’ mess.”

Helena managed to turn around, only to find Dinah standing behind them with her arms crossed. 

“So?” Harley argued. “It’s just sand.”

Dinah rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She leaned down and scooped up the volleyball that Harley had abandoned. “You guys wanna play? Two on two, losers buy dinner?”

“ _ That _ ,” Harley said, hopping down next to her, “Is a great idea. You and me versus the kid and lovebird here.” As she said this, she looked at Helena and winked. “Should be cake.”

“Pfft.” Cass didn’t seem to agree. “We’re going to kick your ass.”

Harley’s grin only grew wider. “You’re on, kid.” She spun on her heel, beelining for Renee.

“Where are you going?” Dinah called after her.

“To get our referee.”

Helena watched as Harley practically skipped to Renee’s side. It was not a very long conversation, and the answer, even from where she was standing, was a very decisive no.

Harley was undeterred. She caught Helena’s attention and waved, cupping one hand next to her mouth.

“Hey, lovebird!” Harley shouted. “C’mere!”

There was a question in Dinah’s eyes as Helena walked past, but all Helena could do was shrug. 

Harley met her halfway. “Montoya says she’s not getting out of her chair.” Harley said this loud enough Renee could hear and frown in their direction.

“Okay.” Helena didn’t see the problem. “One of us can-.”

She stopped at the expression Harley gave her, wide-eyed and leaning slightly. ‘Pick her up’, Harley mouthed, silently. She emphasized this by gesturing with her hands. Helena looked over Harley’s shoulder at where Renee was sitting, only for Harley to gesture again.

“...Okay.”

Renee was going to kill her. In the time it took for Helena to walk to her side, she decided it was worth it. 

Renee was immediately suspicious. “What’re you doing, Bertinelli?”

Clearing her throat, Helena put one hand behind the back of the folding chair, her other arm sliding under the seat. “Sorry.” She grunted, scooping Renee up, chair and all.

“God damn it, Bertinelli!” Renee shouted, her hands gripping the arms of the chair. “Put me down! You motherfuckers-.”

Harley started cackling, but Helena was trying to walk as fast as she could toward the nearest volleyball net. “Grab the cooler.” She told Harley as she sped across the beach.

“Oh shit,” Cass saw them, her entire face lighting up at the way Renee was carrying on. “Dinah look.”

“Fuck where did I put my phone?” Dinah laughed. “Wait, wait don’t put her down. Not yet.”

The race was on. Dinah was trying to scramble and grab her phone to capture the moment, and Renee was cursing Helena so badly that it would have made a more innocent bystander’s ears bleed.

Helena waited as long as she was able, only putting Renee down safely once Dinah had managed to take at least a dozen pictures. She put the chair down next to the net, but didn’t manage to escape Renee. She hit Helena roughly on the shoulder with the back of her palm, but not enough to actually hurt.

“You motherfucker.”

“Hey,” Helena chuckled, “You didn’t have to get out of your chair.”

“-and we brought your drinks.” Harley added, dropping the cooler down next to her. “Ya fuckin’ alcoholic.”

“You’re one to talk,” Renee snorted. After she was settled, she seemed to relent. “Are we playing volleyball or not? I’m not waiting all day.”

* * *

“Y’know I thought this would be easier,” Harley panted, somewhere to Dinah’s right. 

Dinah didn’t want to admit it, but she had thought the same thing. She hadn’t expected Helena to be so competitive, but now it was clear that Helena was determined to win. According to Renee, Cass and Helena were a few points ahead. Dinah was inclined to believe her, because with each time Helena spiked the ball over the net, she and Harley were having a harder time keeping up. 

When Harley knocked the ball over the net again, Cass was quick to get under it. Dinah tried to track the ball as it sailed through the air, until she saw Helena swinging. When Helena made contact, she hit the ball so hard that Dinah lost sight of it. She heard it hit something behind her, but it wasn’t the typical sound of the ball hitting sand. Dinah had already begun to turn when she heard Harley let out a groan. 

“Oh  _ shit _ .” Helena was the one that swore, ducking under the net and darting past Dinah.

It was then that Dinah saw Harley. She was laying flat on her back in the sand, the imprint of the volleyball staining her face red. Her nose was bleeding, and she was looking up with a dazed expression. Helena knelt down next to her, cursing under her breath.

“Jesus, Bertinelli!” Renee scolded, never leaving her chair, “Did you have to fuckin’ kill her?”

“I’m  _ sorry _ ,” Helena’s voice was nothing but apologetic as she tried to help Harley sit up. 

As she sat up, Dinah could  _ see _ Harley’s head spin. Her eyes rolled in her head for a few moments before she began blinking it away. She brought a hand up to her nose, scowling when she saw the blood on her fingers.

Dinah looked over at Cass and sighed. “Cass can you grab a towel?”

Cass nodded, darting over to where the towels had been left on Renee’s cooler. Dinah murmured a ‘thank you’ as the towel was passed to her, and she offered it to Harley.

Harley brought the towel up to her face, shooting a glare at Helena as she did so.

“I think you broke my fuckin’ nose.” It was muffled, but it got her point across. 

“I didn’t  _ mean  _ to,” Helena insisted.

Dinah rolled her eyes, pulling Harley’s hand away from her face, and the towel with it.

“Let me see.” Harley frowned, but tilted her head back at Dinah’s insistence. Aside from the blood, and the bruise that would surely follow, there was nothing wrong. “You’re fine.” Dinah handed the towel back to her and stood up. “We should probably get going anyway.”

“What’s the score?” Harley asked, looking at Renee. 

“Doesn’t matter.” Helena interjected before Renee could answer. “I think you guys won. Right, Cass?”

Cass looked at Harley, then at Helena with a mischievous grin. “Yeah, you hit her pretty hard.”

Renee had already stood up, and was folding her chair. 

“One more point,” Harley protested.

Dinah saw Helena look at her, but Dinah could only shrug. “One more can’t hurt.”

“ _ Perfect _ ,” Harley pushed herself to her feet and grabbed the ball. She threw the towel over her shoulder and got ready to serve.

Most, if not all of her serves had been directed at Cass. So for the moment, Helena was standing to the side, watching Dinah. Then Harley calmly took the ball in both hands, lifted it over her head, and threw it at Helena as hard as she could.

The volleyball bounced off her forehead and went flying as Harley held her sides and cackled.

“What the hell, Harley?” Dinah asked.

It was hard to see the red mark on Helena’s forehead from how pink the sun had made her face. She tilted her head in confusion, looking between the pair as Harley continued to laugh.

“Oh,” Helena finally said, “That was on  _ purpose _ .”

Harley grabbed her towel from her shoulder and took a few long strides until she was standing within arm’s reach of Helena. 

“There,” Harley said, sticking out her hand to shake, “Now we’re even.”

“Even?”

“Yeah!” Harley looked at Helena, then pushed her hand a little closer. “No hard feelings. Right, Killa?”

Helena hesitated, but eventually shook Harley’s hand. Dinah rolled her eyes and turned to where Renee was packing up. 

“Help me carry all this crap to the car.” Renee told her. “Let’s go, kid.” She added, looking over her shoulder at Cass.

Dinah grabbed her clothes first, pulling her shorts back on over her bikini before she reached for her shirt. By then, Harley and Helena had caught up. It wasn’t until she put her shirt back on and pulled her hair out of it that she realized Renee was watching her.

“What?”

“I hadn’t realized you’d kept Oliver’s ring,” Renee replied. Dinah reflexively reached up to feel the necklace hanging against her chest, where she kept her old engagement ring from Oliver. Most days she forgot she even had it on.

“Yeah, so?” Dinah asked, noticing it had gotten Helena’s attention.

“Most people don’t keep the ring once the engagement is over, Dinah.”

It wasn’t like that. But Dinah didn’t feel like getting into it. “I’m not most people. It’s not like Ollie wanted it back.”

She didn’t feel like trying to explain it today. It had been Oliver’s last gift to her when her mother died. Whatever it once meant, now it only served to remind her she  _ wasn’t _ entirely alone. 

Helena was watching her with a thoughtful expression. She did that often. Helena’s eyes dropped to the necklace, and the ring, slowly. Dinah knew what it _looked_ like. Everyone in Gotham knew. Oliver hadn’t spared a dime when he had picked it out. She knew what most people _thought_. But they were wrong. 

Helena’s eyes wandered lower, only for a second. She caught herself, eyes snapping away from Dinah entirely as she stepped around her without a word and busied herself with picking up Renee’s cooler. 

Sometimes Dinah wished she could just  _ ask _ , and that Helena would answer. Dinah just wanted to know what was going on in her head when Helena looked at her as if nothing else in the world existed. 

Dinah grabbed the rest of their things and followed Helena to the car. Renee popped the trunk to her car and threw her chair inside. Helena passed her the cooler, but opened it to grab a couple sodas. Helena made her way over to Dinah’s car without a word, leaving her alone with Harley, Cass, and Renee.

“You good to drive, Montoya? You’ve been hitting that flask hard all day.”

Renee pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head and rolled her eyes. “I’ve been doing this longer than you’ve been alive, kid.”

Dinah held her hands up defensively. “Just checking.”

“Uh huh.” Rene then motioned to Harley and Cass. “You three stay out of trouble.”

“Not worried about Helena?”

Renee looked over to where Helena was climbing into the backseat of Dinah’s car.

“ _ Nope _ . Bye.”

Dinah rolled her eyes and left Renee at her car. Cass climbed into the backseat as Dinah threw the towels in the trunk.

“ _ You _ ,” Dinah said with a pointed look at Harley, “Have to wash all this shit when we get home.”

“Me?” Harley looked surprised. “Why me?” She was still holding the bloodied towel, though Dinah didn’t think her nose was bleeding anymore. “This is  _ her  _ fault. Not mine.”

Dinah glanced at Helena, and caught her handing one of the pilfered sodas to Cass. “Because you’re the one who bled everywhere.”

“ _ Not _ my fault.”

“It’s fine,” Helena spoke up. “I got it.”

“See?” Harley hopped into the passenger seat, grinning. “These things just work themselves out.”

* * *

The sun had started to set over Gotham. The golden streaks of light still shone through the alleyway, but they were getting lower with each passing minute. Helena found solace sitting here on the fire-escape alone. Cass and Harley, but _especially_ Harley, had been a little too loud for her liking. She had only meant to sit out here for a few minutes, but she found herself getting lost in the noises of the city.

It reminded her that there was  _ life _ in this city. For the longest time, any memory Helena had of Gotham had been associated with her family, and their deaths. When she had been in Sicily it had been so easy to just think of Gotham as a dark, lonely place. It wasn’t like that anymore. She had begun to make new memories, and she had found what she considered to be the makings of a new family. It would never replace what she had lost, but it was filling a void in her heart that had lived there for a long time. 

Despite her feelings, she couldn’t shake the lingering shadow of doubt that she still didn’t  _ quite  _ fit in. Helena knew it was stupid to worry about, and she tried not to. But even now it gnawed at the back of her mind. Things could change so suddenly, after all. She thought back to what Renee had said earlier that afternoon, about Dinah’s  _ engagement  _ ring.  _ It’s nothing _ . She told herself this to feel better.  _ She’d tell me if it was. _

That, at least, Helena hoped was true. Still, she didn’t think it was any of her business. Even so she couldn’t seem to get Dinah out of her head. Any time she let her mind wander, it had begun finding its way to Dinah and Dinah alone. At first Helena had simply considered ignoring it. But there was  _ no _ ignoring Dinah, even if she wanted to.

Helena often caught herself thinking about Dinah. Whether it was the way her lips curled into a smile and brought the dimple out on her cheek, or the way she seemed to radiate warmth wherever she went. Helena found herself beginning to _crave_ that warmth. It wasn’t the first time Helena had ever felt like this, but had certainly been a very long time. 

The sound of the window opening drew her from her thoughts. Helena looked to see who was interrupting her solitude, only to find Dinah climbing out onto the fire-escape. It was if she had heard Helena’s thoughts herself and decided to appear. Helena didn’t even try to hide the smile she felt creeping up on her.

“Hey,” Dinah said softly when she had made it through the window. “You okay out here?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to be alone for a little while.”

There was a hint of worry in Dinah’s eyes, and Helena could feel that all-too-familiar heat beginning to spread in her chest. 

“Do you want me to go?”

“Of course not.” Helena immediately moved over on the step she was sitting on in order to make room. “It was just….a lot.” She absentmindedly picked at the hem of her shirt. “Besides, it’s nice out here.”

Dinah hummed, opting to stand in front of Helena instead of sitting next to her. 

Dinah stood there for some time, studying Helena’s face. Helena waited. She had a feeling Dinah had something on her mind. 

After what felt like an eternity, Dinah reached out, brushing Helena’s hair out of her face. Once the loose strands were in their place, Dinah’s fingertips ghosted along Helena’s temple, coming to rest against her cheek. Helena let out a quiet sigh, letting herself lean into the touch. Coming from anyone else, she might have let herself recoil. But Dinah was  _ different _ . 

“I think we should talk.”

There was a confidence in Dinah’s voice that didn’t match the way Helena’s heart skipped in her chest. But Dinah still expected an answer, so all Helena could do was slowly nod her head. 

“What about?” Helena managed to ask, trying not to think about how Dinah’s hand dropped to her shoulder.

“This,” Dinah said simply, gesturing with her free hand between them. “ _ Us _ . Whatever this is that we’re doing.”

_ Us _ . The word caused Helena’s stomach to flip. The word alone implied many things, but most importantly that perhaps Helena was not alone in her feelings. Helena took a deep breath and tried to think of what to say.

“We’re friends, right…?” She trailed off as she asked the question, watching Dinah’s eyes for a reaction. Dinah’s eyes moved up and down Helena’s face carefully, her lips parting ever so slightly. Dinah finally gave her a nod, and it was enough for Helena to continue. “Do you want to be more than that?” 

Helena couldn’t take her eyes off Dinah as she waited for some kind of answer. Her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest, but she had nowhere else to go. There was nowhere else she’d rather be.

“I don’t know,” Dinah finally admitted. “That depends. What do  _ you _ want, H?”

Helena hadn’t prepared for that question. Given the circumstances, she hadn’t prepared for any of it.

Finally, despite her nerves, she settled on the truth. 

“ _ You. _ ” It came out as barely more than a whisper, but once it was out, Helena repeated it more firmly. “You, Dinah.” It had been a long time since she’d had this kind of conversation, and the words felt wrong and jumbled together. But it never felt wrong  _ with  _ Dinah. “However you’ll have me. Friends or...whatever. I just want you.”

It didn’t matter if they were friends or something more. Dinah’s presence brought a much needed calm to the storm in her heart. Helena didn’t know how to put that into words. She just hoped it would be enough.

Dinah took a step closer, standing between Helena’s knees and draping her arms over her shoulders. Helena let herself wrap her arms around Dinah’s waist, content to just hold her there, to be grounded by her presence. But Dinah was smiling, even as she leaned down and brought their foreheads together.

“How ‘bout this?” Dinah asked. 

When Dinah leaned in, Helena instinctively began to pull her closer. Then, just as their lips were about to meet, there was a banging on the window. Helena closed her eyes with a groan of frustration, feeling the heat that spread across her cheeks. Dinah pulled back, her hands still resting on Helena’s shoulders. There was another tap on the glass, quieter this time.

“ _ What _ ?” Dinah growled.

Hearing her voice pulled Helena out of her daze and she too turned to look at the window. There stood Harley, face pressed against the glass. She smiled in that sickly-sweet way of hers and  _ waved _ .

“We’re gonna watch a movie! You guys want popcorn?”

Helena felt Dinah’s hands clench into fists, her fingers digging into the fabric of Helena’s t-shirt. Harley looked at them, oblivious, her gaze going back and forth between them.

“ _ Well? _ ”

“....no thank you?” Helena finally answered.

Harley shrugged, sticking her tongue out at them before bouncing away from the window. 

Dinah stared as Harley faded from view. “I’m going to fucking kill her.” She muttered under her breath. Then, she seemed to realize she was gripping Helena’s shirt. She let go with a sigh, bringing her hands up to cup Helena’s face. Dinah was angry now, but Helena knew it wasn’t at  _ her _ . Helena looked up at Dinah sheepishly, and when Dinah met her gaze she was glad to see some of the anger melt away. Despite her frown, Dinah leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Helena’s forehead.

“We’ll come back to this later.” Dinah grumbled. “Come on.”

When Dinah stepped away, Helena did her best not to feel disappointed. The butterflies in her stomach wouldn’t let her stay too upset for long. She knew that they had nothing but time.


	6. Climb a Mountain

The bathroom was a mess. Helena found the counter was desecrated each and every morning when she went to take a shower. Today was no different. It had been just over two weeks since Harley and Cass had arrived, but judging from the state of her bathroom, Helena thought Harley had taken over months ago.

Helena’s once neat and tidy counter was now scattered with an assortment of makeup, including several sickly colored shades of lipstick. The rest of the counter was covered in brushes, an open tube of toothpaste, and an overabundance of discarded jewelry. The lipstick, Helena discovered upon inspection, was responsible for the drawings found on the mirror. There were faded kiss-marks, uneven-stars, and largest of all - a bird drawn in the top corner, with a purple heart around it. Below it, Harley had scrawled one word: Lovebird.

There were a few towels tossed on the floor, and one of them was stained from where Harley had dyed the tips of her hair. The shower curtain was also stained with...something. She didn’t want to know. Helena didn’t analyze it too hard. There were several new bottles of body wash, shampoo and conditioner. It was as if Harley bought whatever she thought looked or smelled nice, used it once, and then tried something else.

Harley had, mercifully, left Helena’s things alone. Her toothbrush, toothpaste, and any other accessories were still neatly in their places amongst the chaos. Each day, Helena considered that a victory.

She didn’t want Harley and Cass to  _ leave _ . Helena had gotten accustomed to having them there, even knowing that Harley would leave again as soon as she took the notion. But there was something nice about having her, and especially Cass, staying there for a while. Even now, while they were downtown at an arcade and the apartment had gone quiet. 

There was only one problem with their presence. Helena wanted to clean. She wanted to clean so badly she could hardly stand it. She picked nervously at a stray strand of cotton hanging off the clean towel she was holding as she looked around.

It wasn’t like she had already spent a large portion of her time tidying the apartment. Harley was always leaving food crumbs everywhere, especially sprinkled around the living room. That’s how they would get ants, Helena was sure. But still she had carefully cleaned everything, sometimes more often than she really needed. There were dishes in the sink, she knew there were, even though she had just cleaned all the dishes last night. She also needed to clean the fridge. Again. There had been a spaghetti incident.

Helena had left the bathroom alone, though. All of these things were  _ Harley’s _ and despite how Helena felt about them, she wouldn’t move them without Harley knowing.

She heard a knock on the bathroom door. It was cracked open, barely an inch.

_ Why is someone knocking? _

Helena’s eyes snapped up and she saw herself in the bathroom mirror, the top of her head distorted by a piece of the lipstick-heart. She had come into the bathroom for something, but now couldn’t remember what. 

Another knock.

“H, are you okay?” Helena turned her head to the door just as Dinah eased it open, poking her head inside. Helena blinked a few times.  _ Shower _ .  _ That’s what I came in here for.  _ “Helena? Did you hear me?”

_ Dinah _ . “Yeah--sorry.” Helena shook her head, trying to get her thoughts back on track. “I’m fine.”

_ Dinah is staring _ . Helena looked at her and tried to smile. Instead of smiling in return, Dinah frowned, looking down at the counter. The cluttered, messy counter, that Helena was trying to  _ ignore _ .

As Dinah’s eyes moved around the room, Helena shifted her weight from foot to foot. When Dinah’s hand brushed her elbow, Helena couldn’t help the way her shoulders jerked.  _ I should be used to this by now _ . Dinah was always in her bubble now, always giving light touches to her arm or back, or holding her hand. They sat together often, and Helena had enjoyed one day the week before where Dinah had woken up extra early to eat breakfast with her. They had even tried to go to dinner, alone, but that had been interrupted by an all-too-eager call from Renee, who had picked up a job for the Birds of Prey.

The hand on her elbow gave her a tug, grabbing her attention again. 

“Come on,” She heard Dinah say. “You can use my shower.”

Her feet moved on their own. They carried her straight through the bedroom and into Dinah’s bathroom. The mirror was clean. Helena looked down at the counter and saw a similar spread of items compared to what she had just left. The difference, however, was that there was no chaos here. Though it was still messy, at least by Helena’s standards, there had been some control exhibited. It appeared to be organized. Everything seemed to  _ belong _ .

She should have expected that from Dinah.

“You good?” Dinah was checking again. She had followed Helena to the bathroom. 

Helena turned to face her, looking down as Dinah placed Helena’s toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash on the counter next to the sink. “Been here a while, huh?”

“Yes.” She was fine. She wondered if Dinah was talking about Harley and Cass. Helena figured that was the only option. “Two weeks and three days.”

“Okay.” Dinah patted her shoulder. “Longer than I thought.Take your shower.”

She stepped out of the bathroom without another word, shutting the door behind her. Helena took a deep breath and removed the clean clothes from where she had them folded under her towel. She laid them out on an empty space of the counter before she began undressing.

When she finally made it to the shower, she didn’t even flinch at the initial rush of cold water that hit her skin. Once the water had grown warmer she tilted her head back and stepped under the spray. There was something relaxing about the stream of water that massaged her scalp, and Helena took the moment to close her eyes and breathe deeply. She could feel her body relaxing in waves, moving from her head and shoulders slowly all the way down to the tips of her toes.

Reaching for the first bottle she found on the shelf, Helena opened it and gave it a tentative sniff. She was delighted to find that she’d stumbled on the coconut-scented shampoo that Dinah had been favoring lately.

As she worked the shampoo into a lather on her scalp, Helena began to think more clearly. She couldn’t believe she had gotten so distracted.  _ That doesn’t usually happen _ . She made up her mind to not let it become a regular occurrence. 

* * *

“Hey, Dinah!” Dinah hadn’t heard the apartment door open, so the sound of Cass’ voice startled her. She looked up from where she had been unloading the dishwasher and saw Cass bouncing off toward the living room as Harley entered the apartment behind her.

“Did you guys have fun?” Dinah asked. They had been at the arcade longer than she had expected them to be, but if she was being honest with herself she hadn’t seen how much money they’d managed to con out of Helena to fund the excursion.

“Yeah!” Cass laughed as she fell onto the couch. 

“Oh  _ sure _ ,” Harley rolled her eyes as she walked over to Dinah. “You should see the kid play air hockey. Kicked my  _ ass _ . She’s a natural.”

“Until you cheated!” 

The way the corners of Harley’s mouth curled into a devious grin told Dinah she had absolutely cheated, and would be more than happy to do so again. She was a sore loser.

“Where’s lovebird?” Harley asked, casting a cursory glance around the apartment. “Outside again?”

Helena had been spending more and more time sitting on the fire escape outside. At least this time, Dinah wouldn’t have to go looking for her. She hadn’t heard the shower cut off yet. “No, she’s in the shower.” Harley looked over Dinah’s shoulder toward the vacant bathroom that Helena had been using and raised a brow. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

Harley began nodding, but seemed puzzled. “Is that not what we’re doing?” When Dinah only gave her a mild glare, Harley grew serious. “ _ Oh _ you mean like….a for real talk. Okay.”

“C’mon.” Dinah rolled her eyes and motioned for Harley to follow. She led her to the bathroom, motioning to the mess Harley had left. It looked like a hurricane had blown through. “Can you--can you try to contain some of this?”

Harley tilted her head to one side, studying Dinah’s face. “Is this the nice way of asking me to leave?”

“ _ No _ ,” Dinah sighed. “It’s just, I don’t know, I think it’s bothering Helena.”

Harley’s confusion only seemed to worsen. But Dinah could see the gears turning. Helena was acting  _ differently _ . She couldn’t have been the only one who had noticed. Helena was spending more and more time every day outside, and it only made Dinah think of the day she and Renee had moved her things in. Helena had spent the entire day sitting outside on the stoop, waiting. It wasn’t just that, it was also that Helena had taken to avoiding all of them, unless they went out to dinner together.  _ That _ was something Dinah couldn’t tolerate long. The closeness she had gotten used to was slipping through her fingers, and this could be the only explanation. 

It didn’t help that this growing distance between them had caused Helena to start recoiling every time Dinah tried to touch her.  _ I thought we were past that.  _

“She’s been cleaning a lot, lately.” Dinah added, though Harley still hadn’t spoken. That was another thing on its own. When Helena  _ was _ in the apartment, she was either cleaning or sleeping. She woke up hours before Dinah, Harley or Cass, and would clean every inch of the apartment she could get her hands on. “Then today she was standing in here just...completely zoned out. For like fifteen minutes. She didn’t snap out of it until I came to check on her.”

Finally, something seemed to click. “Oh  _ shit _ .” Harley whispered. She smacked her hand to her forehead and looked around at the bathroom as if she was seeing the mess she had created for the first time. “I shoulda been payin’ attention.” Dinah opened her mouth to say something, but Harley’s finger on her lips stopped her. “Look, I can fix this.”

“You don’t have to do it  _ now _ \--.” Dinah started.

“Just give me an hour, doll, promise.”

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll take Helena out later for some drinks or something, give you all the time you need to do...whatever it is you’re wanting to do. Okay?”

Harley stuck out her bottom lip into a pout, but eventually nodded. “This may be the only time I don’t get included in getting drinks. But you gotta deal.”

Dinah felt a little relief. Maybe this would help Helena go back to normal. Or, whatever it was that normal had become for them. It would be good to get out of the house and be alone with Helena, since everything they had done lately had either involved work and Renee or their new roommates. 

They saw Helena emerging from Dinah’s room as they stepped out of the bathroom, her hair still damp from where she had tried to towel-dry it. She stopped when she noticed Dinah and Harley, looking between them both distrustfully.

“What?”

Harley crossed the distance between them and threw her arms around Helena’s middle. Dinah watched as Helena tensed, glancing at her with uncertainty. 

“I’m sorry, lovebird.” Harley’s voice was muffled by Helena’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean it, honest.” Helena was squirming, trying to get her arms up between them and create some distance. 

Finally, she managed to get her hands on Harley’s shoulders and pushed her back enough she could look at her. “What are you talking about? Are you trying to get me to give you more money?”

“I mean I won’t say  _ no _ ,” Harley said. Then she grabbed Helena’s head in her hands and pulled her down to leave a kiss on her cheek. “You’re the best, lovebird.”

Helena tripped over her own feet trying to back away from Harley, and Dinah could only laugh as she brought her hand up to her cheek and tried to rub off the lipstick Harley had left there.

“What’s going on?” Helena asked with a huff, looking to Dinah for an answer.

When Dinah smiled, she could see Helena’s shoulders relax. “We’re going out later. Me and you. Harley’s going to stay here and watch Cass.”

“Hey,” Cass objected. “What if I want to go?”

“Sorry, kid,” Harley butted in. “Adults only.”

Helena narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but she was still staring at Dinah. “Are you  _ asking _ , or are you telling?”

Dinah shrugged and went to go sit next to Cass on the couch. She was  _ telling _ , but Helena didn’t need to know that.

“Does it make a difference?” Dinah tried to play it off, she didn’t need Helena to go disappear for the rest of the day. “Are you going to say no if it’s a question?”

She heard Helena let out a quiet huff, but she received no objection. “Okay.”

“Just okay?”

There was still caution in Helena’s voice. She didn’t trust what they were doing, but Dinah knew she wouldn’t say so. “Yeah. Fine.”

“Great!” She heard Harley clapping her hands. “Just wait, lovebird. I’m gonna pick out something cute for you to wear.”

When Dinah looked back to see Helena’s reaction, she found Helena still looking nervously between the pair of them. But with Harley out of reach, and Dinah now on the couch, Helena didn’t seem quite as startled. When she saw Dinah looking, she flashed a tiny smile. 

“Okay. My stuff is in the closet over there.”

Dinah knew even if she had simply asked, Helena would have gone. Just like she had dutifully retrieved her wallet when Cass had asked about the arcade.  _ She would let us get away with murder, at this rate. _ She might have denied it if asked, but Dinah knew the truth. Helena Bertinelli had developed a soft spot for them. 

* * *

Helena looked at her reflection in the side mirror of Dinah’s car and smoothed one hand over her hair. Surprisingly not a single strand had fallen out of place. For the first time in a long time, Helena found her dark hair was sleek, instead of looking like she had rolled out of bed only moments ago. 

It had been challenging enough to try and fix her hair with Harley fussing over her, but now Helena felt the effort was worth it. Somehow, Harley had produced a silk shirt from her closet, and had been insistent that it was _perfect_. Helena hadn’t agreed with the sentiment, but had given Harley free-reign of dressing her anyway. It was too warm outside for the long sleeves, and Helena had taken the liberty of rolling them up. The color at least was a rich, dark, shade of purple, and that was the most agreeable part. The pants Harley had found were black, but they were so tight Helena wondered why they were in her closet to begin with. Still, Harley had persisted. Which led to Helena hopping around the bathroom like an idiot because she didn’t possess the ability to utter any sentence that contained the simple word ‘no’.

“I don’t know how you talked me into this.” Helena said with a sigh, glancing over at Dinah. She was met with only an innocent shrug, before Dinah walked around the front of the car and took her by the arm. “Honestly. We left Harley and Cass alone. In our apartment.  _ Alone _ .”

“Harley swore she wouldn’t burn the place down.” Dinah laughed, her hand resting comfortably on Helena’s arm as she turned her to walk toward the entrance. “Don’t worry about what they’re doing. Me and Quinn have a deal.”

“That’s not comforting.” Helena muttered. 

Nevertheless, she didn’t want to argue. She  _ had _ wanted out of the house, after all. She just hadn’t imagined it would be something like this. Helena hadn’t had any real time alone with Dinah lately, either. If she was being honest, that was almost entirely the reason she had agreed to this in the first place. But now that she was  _ here _ , part of her wanted to change her mind. Clubs weren’t really her style, though she did drag herself out of the house every time Dinah got a chance to sing. Helena made that exception. What would one more hurt?

Dinah was wearing a golden colored top, but Helena was doing her best not to think about that. She hadn’t even so much as glanced at her since they left the apartment and Harley had complimented her for ‘showing off the girls’. It had taken at least ten minutes for Helena’s face to stop burning. She was sure, whatever Dinah was wearing looked nice.  _ Dinah would make anything look good _ . But right now, Helena didn’t want the distraction. She told herself she needed to focus. On what, she couldn’t decide. Especially if they were going to be drinking.

As they walked inside together, Helena realized she had forgotten how loud it was. It took a few moments to adjust to the thrumming music as it almost drowned out the sound of people talking and laughing with each other. Helena let herself focus on the warmth of Dinah’s hand on her arm, as Dinah led them effortlessly through the crowd.

Helena would have been happy to have Dinah lead her around the rest of the night. But eventually, Dinah stopped, leaning in so that she was close to Helena’s ear.

“Go find us somewhere to sit. I’ll get us some drinks.”

She did her best not to sigh when Dinah pulled away. Helena did as she was told, wandering around until she found somewhere acceptable. It was an empty booth, tucked into the corner, away from most of the people. Helena didn’t mind that in the least. Especially since she could see both the door _and_ the bar.

In a place like this, it was easy to simply sit back and observe. Almost everyone was drunk or on their way to it, and those that weren’t were too engrossed in the company they had brought with them. Had it been any other day, Helena might have sat here a long time doing nothing more than people-watching. She could have even done so now, at least until Dinah came into view. 

Helena found herself a little envious of how confidently Dinah carried herself across the room. She weaved through the sea of bodies, a drink in each hand, without even brushing shoulders with a stranger. 

When Dinah slid into the booth, sitting as close to Helena as space would allow, Helena found herself forgetting there were other people present. Suddenly, she understood. No one else mattered.

Then, there was a drink being pushed across the table toward her. “What’s this?” 

“A drink.” 

She wrapped her fingers around the glass, but kept her gaze on Dinah. “And?”

“And, drink it.”

“That’s not suspicious.” Helena raised the glass to her lips, but didn’t drink yet. “What’s in it?”

Dinah flashed her teeth in a mischievous grin. “Well which do you think? Drugs or poison?”

Helena tilted her head and thought about it. “Poison.” She finally decided, before she took her first sip. The drink was not as strong as she had expected, but it was  _ sour _ . Dinah was watching her thoughtfully, tracing the rim of her own glass with a finger. “What?”

“Why poison?”

“It’s more direct.” Helena shrugged. “Victim drinks it, they die, you move on. Drugging someone implies that you are going to take them somewhere else.” She paused, meeting Dinah’s gaze. “You drive a convertible. You can’t really hide bodies in that.”

Dinah’s mouth was hanging open. She blinked slowly as she processed what Helena had said before her lips snapped shut. “Is that what you think?”

“No.” Helena’s immediate laugh betrayed her. It only seemed to confuse Dinah further. “I’m just fucking with you. I don’t know.”

“ _ Jesus _ ,” Dinah took a deep breath, bringing a hand up to her chest. “You had me worried there for a second, H. Do you think about shit like that?”

It was easy to be honest with Dinah. “Sometimes. Not--not exactly like that.” She thought she should clarify. “I like being prepared. So if something happens, I know where the exits are. I know my routes.” This seemed to bring Dinah a little comfort. “Besides, I trust you. I know you’re not going to poison me.”

“No, I’m not.” Dinah shook her head. “Glad we cleared that up.” She took a sip of her drink then, lowering her hand from her chest to lay it next to Helena’s.

“Now, are you going to tell me why you wanted to come out for drinks?” Helena tried not to sound suspicious, though she was. “I know you and Harley are up to something.”

The way Dinah looked away told Helena she was right. She only needed for Dianh to say so. 

“It’s not like that.”

“Okay.”

Dinah looked at her and huffed, taking her by the hand. “I hate when you do that shit.” When Helena started to ask Dinah pressed on, imitating Helena’s tone of voice. “ _ Okay _ .” Helena raised a brow but said nothing. She wasn’t sure if Dinah was teasing her or not. “But I’ll tell you. One, I wanted out of the house. With  _ you _ . You’ve been acting kind of... _ off _ lately.”

Helena took a drink to keep herself from frowning. “What do you mean?”

“You’re not the only one who notices shit, H.” Dinah said, giving her hand a squeeze. “You ain’t acted right since Harley and Cass showed up.” Dinah continued when Helena offered no argument. “I figured we could get out and have some fun.”

“While Harley burns our apartment down?” 

When Dinah rolled her eyes, Helena couldn’t help but grin. “If you must know, she’s cleaning.”  _ Cleaning? Why?  _ “Or at least she’s supposed to be. That was our deal.”

“So you admit you guys  _ were  _ up to something.”

Dinah leaned in close, so close that Helena had nowhere else to look but her. “I saw the mess. I know that kind of shit bothers you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Helena protested.

“Really?” Dinah had lowered her voice, never taking her eyes off Helena. “Because I saw how you were this morning. I know how much cleaning you’ve been doing,  _ and  _ how you’ve been hiding on the fire escape every chance you get. I know you won’t touch her shit because it’s not  _ yours _ . Do I need to keep going?”

Helena chewed on the inside of her cheek and shook her head. Dinah was right and they both knew it. 

“I didn’t think so. I don’t know how much longer they’re going to be staying but...I don’t want you to be miserable.” 

Helena felt touched by the sentiment. She hadn’t expected Dinah to notice, let alone to  _ care _ . Harley and Cass’ presence hadn’t really been something they had discussed together. 

“You know Harley ‘cleaning’ is probably her just shoving everything into a drawer, right?” Helena felt like it had to be said. She was touched, really, but part of her did not have high expectations.

Dinah finished the rest of her drink, but the annoyed expression she wore told Helena she  _ had  _ thought exactly that. 

“Will it help?” 

Helena shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Look, just don’t open the drawers.” Dinah started laughing. “Any of them. You can keep using my bathroom, if it helps.”

“Okay.” This time, Dinah didn’t say anything. Helena smiled. “Thank you, Dinah.”

Dinah’s lip curled into a smirk and she toyed with her empty glass. “If you want to thank me, you’ll stop worrying about what Harley’s doing and finish your drink.”

“--still trying to poison me?”

“That way I can order us  _ more. _ ” 

* * *

“Wanna dance?” As Dinah asked, she watched as Helena finished another drink. She had lost track of how many they’d each had, but she didn’t mind.  _ Maybe now Helena will have some fun _ .

Instead, Helena glanced down to where Dinah was leaning against her arm and raised a brow. “I don’t dance.”

“So?” She motioned toward the crowded dance floor. “Neither do any of those people. They’re just drunk enough not to care. Or on something else.”

Helena hummed, but when she didn’t have anything to say Dinah decided to take matters into her own hands. She stood up, smiling as she gave Helena’s hand a tug. “Let’s go, H.”

Helena came without complaint, allowing Dinah to pull her into the crowd. When Dinah turned on her, she found Helena grinning to herself.

“What?” Helena gave her the dopiest smile Dinah had ever seen from her and shrugged. Dinah laughed and reached up to smooth down Helena’s collar. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

She let her arms rest comfortably on Helena’s shoulders. Dinah hoped Helena wouldn’t take too much coaxing, but to her surprise, Helena’s hands found their own way to her hips. Then Helena took the lead, as she rolled her shoulders and began to sway along with the music. Dinah wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, though it was likely, but Helena seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself. 

Dinah couldn’t resist teasing her. “I thought you didn’t dance.”

Helena managed a ‘mmhmm’, but the wink she gave Dinah afterward told her that there were likely other things Helena claimed not to enjoy that were all part of the facade. 

Dinah felt another sarcastic remark resting on the tip of her tongue, but it was quickly forgotten when Helena’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.  _ Oh, she’s drunk.  _ Dinah couldn’t say she was in much better shape herself. Still, seeing Helena with a redness in her cheeks and a bright light in her eyes was a far cry from how distant she had been over the last several days. There was no way Dinah wasn’t going to enjoy it.

Dinah had already been feeling warm, a side-effect of too much liquor and too many people. But now as they danced together she found herself pressed against Helena, probably closer than she should have been. Dinah didn’t even know if Helena was paying attention to the music, but they had found a rhythm together despite this. 

Helena’s hair, that she taken such care to slick back perfectly, had started to fall out of place. Dinah couldn’t resist reaching up and running her fingers through it. As she lightly scratched her nails against Helena’s scalp, she watched as Helena’s eyes began traveling down her body. All Dinah could think was  _ finally _ . The shyness that Helena usually displayed was gone. When she realized Dinah was watching her, there was no quick look away as if it had never happened. Instead, Helena met Dinah’s gaze and held it, a smirk turning up the corner of her mouth. 

Dinah let out a quiet laugh, making a point to grind her hips against Helena’s. 

“So what else  _ don’t  _ you do?”

The next thing Dinah knew, Helena’s hand dropped from her waist, only to move lower and squeeze her ass. Had it belonged to anyone else, they would have pulled back a hand with broken fingers. But from Helena, it was more than welcome. If they had been somewhere a little more private, Dinah would have let her get away with much more.

“Find out later.”

Dinah bit her lip, looking at Helena slyly. “What’s gotten into you?”

Helena shrugged. “This was  _ your  _ idea.”

Right now, it was probably the best idea she’d ever had.

Eventually the music started to slow down, the pair of them began to simply sway. Helena’s arms held them together, and Dinah had to admit she enjoyed every second. She began humming, recognizing the melody but not being able to place the song. Helena was watching her, her expression having turned thoughtful. 

“What?” Dinah asked.

Instead of answering, Helena brushed Dinah’s hair back and leaned in. Helena’s kiss was soft, hesitant, and Dinah could tell she was suddenly a little unsure. Dinah grabbed hold of Helena’s shirt to steady her. The comfortable swaying had stopped, but Dinah didn’t care. Helena’s fingers snaked through her hair, her prior hesitation fading with each passing second. As Helena’s tongue slipped across her bottom lip, Dinah felt her stomach flip over. She had waited long enough for this, and now Harley wasn’t there to interrupt them.

When Helena finally pulled away, she was out of breath. Dinah saw her chest rise and fall, her eyes dark as she sized Dinah up and grinned. Dinah knew she was in trouble, but she didn’t think it was a problem _. _

* * *

_ This is the last time I agree to drinks _ .

Helena’s head was pounding. She was doing her best to concentrate, but it was harder than she’d anticipated. Dinah staggered next to her, holding onto Helena’s arm to keep herself upright. They needed to get home. Dinah’s car was out of the question, but Helena had already taken her keys. 

“I need to call a cab.” Helena muttered. 

She guided Dinah outside, pulling out her phone once they’d made their way to the sidewalk. It was almost two in the morning.  _ Bad idea _ . Helena huffed, looking for a number she could use to find them a ride home. She felt Dinah’s arms wrap around her waist, but all Dinah was doing was getting comfortable. She laid her head against Helena’s shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed. 

“I’m tired.”

“Me too.”

Helena smiled as Dinah rested against her, even as she called a cab. Once their ride had been arranged, Helena put her phone away and wrapped her arm around Dinah’s side. She considered the quiet street to be a blessing, if only relief from her headache. She didn’t mind being this close to Dinah, either. 

“We should do this again sometime,” Dinah mused, stifling a yawn. “But you have to swear Harley can pick your next outfit.”

Helena raised a brow. “Okay.”  _ Bad idea _ . “Not these pants, though. They’re way too tight.”

“That is  _ not _ a problem.” Dinah lifted her head to look at Helena, her eyelids heavy. 

Helena did her best not to laugh. “You’re not the one wearing them.”

She heard an ‘mmhmm’ come out of Dinah before she felt kisses being peppered along her jaw. Helena took a deep breath, her skin burning along the path of Dinah’s lips. She needed to concentrate. On something other than Dinah. 

Then, Dinah kissed her. It was slow, almost lazy, but to Helena it was intoxicating. She lost track of what she had been thinking, her only thought now of Dinah. When Dinah’s fingers ghosted across her jaw, Helena could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. 

The loud crash behind them caused them to break apart. Helena kept her arm around Dinah’s waist, spinning them both around so that Dinah was shielded by her body. The noise came from the crowd of drunks that had burst through the doors nearby, stumbling and laughing as they made their way out of the building. Helena glared at them over her shoulder, more offended by the  _ noise _ than anything. One of them tripped and got sent sprawling across the pavement. The laughter only grew louder as his friends tried to scoop him up. Helena could hear Dinah let out a chuckle as she peered over Helena’s shoulder, her breath hot against Helena’s ear. Helena cleared her throat which drew their attention.

“Sorry!” One guy laughed as they grabbed their friend off the ground and hoisted him to his feet. “He’s fine, no big deal.”

Helena rolled her eyes. Maybe they  _ did  _ need to go to Dinah’s car. They didn’t have to drive anywhere, but at least they could be alone. That didn’t seem like a  _ terrible  _ idea. 

Helena was still talking herself into it when their cab pulled up to the curb.

“Come on,” Helena grumbled. “Let’s go home.”

They had been standing still too long. When Helena moved to open the door for Dinah she felt herself get dizzy. She fought through it, gripping the door tightly as she waited for Dinah to climb inside and slide across the seat. Once she was seated it seemed to improve. Dinah was unbothered, reaching for Helena’s hand and lacing their fingers together. 

Dinah yawned after a moment and leaned against Helena’s shoulder. “God I hope Harley is asleep when we get back.”

_ Fuck _ . Helena closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat. She’d forgotten about Harley and Cass. 

“No chance.” Helena groaned. 

“Maybe he’ll just drive real slow.”

Helena rolled her eyes, though Dinah couldn’t see it. Her optimism wouldn’t go very far tonight. “Maybe next time we send them to Renee’s.”

Dinah snorted. Helena opened her eyes and watched the road, trying to focus on the path the driver was taking. It was hard to tell where they were in the dark, and she didn’t want to think too hard. Thinking hurt. All she wanted to do was go home and get out of the tight pants.  _ And maybe sleep. Sleep would be nice.  _


	7. In the Sky

Six-thirty came too soon. Helena inhaled sharply and forced her eyes open. She knew what time it was before she had even glanced at her cell phone. Harley was snoring on the couch behind her, but otherwise the apartment was silent. She sat up, stifling a groan. Three weeks of sleeping in the floor, even with all the cushion in the world, was murder on her back. 

Her shoulder was especially sore this morning. Half of that was due to the work she’d done the night before. With Roman gone, some of the mafia families in Gotham were once again vying for a proper return to power. Helena bristled at the idea, so the Birds of Prey had jumped at the chance to interrupt the process. The tip Renee had gotten had paid off. Still, that meant that Helena had spent the greater part of her night in a meat-packing plant beating up some mafioso’s goons. She hadn’t recognized the family name, and it didn’t matter. The counterfeit money had been another story.

It had been past one in the morning when Dinah and Helena had made it back to the apartment. Dinah had showered and went straight to bed. Helena had showered and laid down, but sleep avoided her until it was almost three. Now, it was six-thirty. Helena’s body wouldn’t accept anything else.

She pushed herself to her feet and stretched her arms over her head. Her shoulder burned, but she ignored it.  _ I’m too old for this. _ Her stiff back was the bigger problem. She had mastered the stretches by now, but their effectiveness had begun to slow. 

Helena shuffled off to the bathroom, flicking on the light and nudging the door shut with her foot. She wanted to brush her teeth, but she wasn’t going into Dinah’s bathroom this early to do that. She didn’t want to run the risk of disturbing Dinah or Cass. She could wait a couple hours. Instead, she found herself in the bathroom she had surrendered to Harley, able to do nothing except wash her face. Though, true to her word, Harley had kept her mess contained. Helena still knew better than to check the drawers. 

The cold water felt good on her skin as she splashed it onto her face. It was meant to help her feel less tired, but even as she grabbed a towel to dry herself, she felt little difference. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed.  _ I look like shit _ . With each day the lack of sleep was taking its toll on her. She had dark circles around her eyes, this time without the help of eyeshadow. Helena had thought about spending a night or two in their base, where she knew there were a couple cots kept in the back. But she just couldn’t bring herself to leave, not yet. She told herself she wasn’t  _ that _ tired. She was beginning to believe that Harley actually had no plans of leaving. Helena just wanted her couch back. 

She didn’t think they had any plans for the day, but that was something she would have to call Renee about later. Unfortunately, at this time of the morning all Helena could do was wait. She had no way of anticipating when Renee or even Dinah would wake up, she only knew it would be a couple hours away.

She could find herself some busywork if she wanted. There was always something that needed cleaning. But this morning she went out on the fire-escape, hoping for a little privacy. She hadn’t heard from Sal in a while. 

They didn’t talk every day, though sometimes Helena liked to. Still, it was nice to check in. She knew he worried about her though he’d never admit it. She hadn’t heard from him in over a week though, and that was unusual. 

Helena needed to talk to Sal today. He had a way of making sense of her thoughts when she couldn’t do so herself. Lately she had a lot to think about. Helena could no longer ignore her feelings for Dinah. She just didn’t know how to put that into words. The last few days had flown by, but now every word and every touch was like electricity running through her system. This was all foreign territory for Helena. For years she had been solely dedicated to her mission, her vengeance. She hadn’t made time for other people in her life since she left Sicily. Dinah had changed all that. Feelings that had long lay dormant in her chest now threatened to suffocate her. All Dinah had to do was smile and Helena could feel her heart melt. 

Her fingers dialed Sal’s number from memory. Helena sat down on her favorite step and sighed. This wasn’t a conversation they’d had before. She loved Sal dearly, but romance was a topic they had never discussed together. But Helena told Sal everything. This would be no different.

“I was wondering if you were ever going to call me again.” Helena felt her shoulders jerk. She hadn’t realized Sal had answered the phone. 

Her nerves turned into laughter. “Hello to you too, Sal.”

“I haven’t heard from you in over a week,” His voice was light and teasing. “I was starting to get worried.”

“Worried? About me?” She knew Sal had always had a soft spot for her. “You know I can handle myself.”

“That’s part of the problem. How’s Gotham? Settling in okay?”

“Good.” She could answer that honestly. “I’m...still getting used to it. But it’s better.” Helena leaned her head against the cool metal railing of the fire escape and looked down at the alley below. “How is Uncle  Tomasso?”

“Old. Cranky.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course he is. You are too, you know.”

“Hush.” Helena could hear him chuckle. “I’m not that old yet.”

“ _ Yet _ .” 

She heard him ‘tsk’ her in disapproval. Teasing him was easy. 

“Are you alright, Helena?” He asked. 

“I am.” She felt like she needed to explain why she hadn’t called. “I’ve just been busy.”

“Anything interesting?”

“No, not really.” She hesitated, clearing her throat. Suddenly, she didn’t want to have this conversation. Her stomach was in knots.  _ It’s just Sal. You tell Sal everything. _ “I, uh--I’ve started seeing someone.” 

The beat of silence that followed weighed heavily on her shoulders. 

“Oh really?” The upward inflection in Sal’s voice told her he was genuinely surprised. “When did this happen?”

Helena wasn’t sure. There wasn’t a clear point, with Dinah. They’d been dancing around each other for a while now, hadn’t they? Helena didn’t know how to explain that.

She had just started with a quiet ‘um’, when Sal continued. “What’s her name?”

Helena was a little surprised. “How do you know it’s a  _ her _ ?”

“Helena,” Sal said her name slowly, setting up his next question. “Do you remember the girl who used to work in the supermarket? The one you always used to talk to? What was her name?”

This made Helena pause. Sicily felt like it was a different world entirely, a lifetime away from her now. But she remembered. She remembered the supermarket, and she could remember coming up with any excuse possible to visit it.

“ _ Francesca. _ ” Helena was surprised Sal couldn’t remember. But then again,  _ she _ couldn’t forget. “Her father owned all those sheep.”

Helena played it off innocently enough. She had forgotten most of the details, it had been so long since they’d seen each other. 

Sal’s hum in her ear told her she had satisfied his question. 

“Do you remember that day you took my car into town?” Sal asked.

“Which time?” She had done that more than once, she thought. 

He laughed. “When you said you were only going to be gone _half an_ _hour_. Then you were gone for over two, and I came looking for you.” Helena was mortified. She had forgotten about this for a reason. Nevertheless, Sal continued. “I found my car parked in the woods, barely out of view of the road. Where were you?”

Helena didn’t want to answer, but she did. “In the backseat.”

“Do you remember who was in the backseat with you?”

Helena buried her face in her hands. Had Sal seen her now, he would have laughed at how brightly she could feel herself blushing. She had only been seventeen, maybe eighteen, and time had simply gotten away from her. 

She knew Sal was expecting her answer, though she also knew she’d already given it to him. “...Francesca.”

“Francesca.” Sal echoed.  _ Of course he knew. _

It all came back to Helena then. Especially the way Sal had tapped on the window. They had pulled themselves apart like they had been struck by lightning. Once she had managed to dress herself, Helena had climbed from the car and tried to face Sal. He had stared at her, arms crossed, as she had tried to stammer through a series of excuses she had concocted. Sal had listened to them without comment, only telling her to go home once she was finished. Then, he left. She’d immediately taken Francesca home without uttering so much as a word to her. 

It had not been the first afternoon they had spent in Sal’s car, but it had proven to be the last. Francesca had been so afraid of Sal telling her father that they’d never spoken again. Helena hadn’t thought much of it at the time. She had been too terrified of what Sal thought, of what he and her uncles would say. 

Instead she had been met with silence. She had driven home, suffocating in her own dread, only to find dinner on the table and what turned out to be a regular evening. Helena could remember spending weeks, maybe even months waiting for the ball to drop and for Sal to confront her. But he never had.

“You’ve known a long time then, huh?” She finally managed to ask.

“ _ Long _ time.” Sal agreed.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t get mad at you, it was the one of the first times you’d actually been caught acting like a  _ teenager _ .” Helena thought she heard him sigh. “I didn’t understand it, but…” He stopped, and Helena could tell he was trying to think of the right words. “If it made you happy, then that was enough for me. I thought you would tell me when you were ready.”

Helena had to laugh, now. She felt like an idiot. “Guess you didn’t think it’d take this long.”

“No I did not.”

“I appreciate it, Sal.” Helena said honestly. She felt a little better now. “Her name is Dinah.”

She heard him repeat Dinah’s name to himself quietly. “The same Dinah who moved in with you? So when do I get to meet her?”

“ _ Sal _ .”

“I mean it.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that.”

“Then how is it? Because you already live together.”

Helena sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. He was  _ technically _ right. Though them living together didn’t really mean anything. 

“I don’t know.” She finally admitted. “Not whatever you’re thinking.”

His voice took a more serious turn. “You know you have to talk to her, right?”

“We do talk.” Helena sighed. “We talk a lot.”

“A lot for you, or a lot for her?”

“Both?” She thought that was the right answer. “I’m working on it.”

She heard Sal grumble to himself. “Have you told her how you feel?”  _ No _ . Helena thought Dinah knew, or at least had an idea. Helena felt like that should be obvious by now. “What about dinner? You should take her to dinner sometime, Helena. You know,” Sal continued, undeterred by her silence. “If you want help talking to women, Tomasso--.”

“ _ No. _ ” Helena interrupted him. She would put a stop to  _ that  _ train of thought right now. “We are not bringing him into this. Not yet.” If she did, Helena knew she’d never hear the end of it. “I can do that on my own.”

Thankfully, Sal didn’t try to finish the thought. “Okay. I won’t tell him.” Helena breathed a sigh of relief. “Now then, tell me about her.”

“Really?”

“Of course. If she means something to you, why wouldn’t I want to know?”

She had planned on telling him anyway, of course. But she didn’t understand why she felt so relieved by him asking. 

“Alright,” She conceded. “I’ll tell you.”

* * *

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way.” Dinah’s voice was soft as she looked at Harley, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch watching the television with Cass. “But when are you leaving?”

Harley stared at her silently, her eyes shifting side to side before she flashed all her teeth.

Cass looked from where she was sprawled across Dinah’s armchair and raised her brow. “You haven’t told them, have you?”

Dinah pursed her lips together. “Haven’t told us  _ what _ ?” She looked at Harley sternly. “You better start talking.”

Harley steepled her fingers together and tried to smile. “Well...We don’t have anywhere else to go.” 

Any hope that Dinah would continue to be nice went out the window. “What do you mean?”

“If you’ll remember correctly,” Harley explained. “My place kind of...blew up.”

“Yeah but you guys took off after that. Where had you been staying before this?”

Harley shrugged one shoulder. “Around. We were busy, right kid?”

She got an ‘uh huh’ from Cass, but that wasn’t enough for Dinah.

“Get an apartment then. You guys sold the diamond, where’s your money?”

“Kid’s still got hers.” Harley muttered. “I have-- _ carefully--  _ invested mine with a friend.”

Dinah had an idea as to who that friend was, but she wasn’t going to bring up Poison Ivy right now. “So you have no money, nowhere to go, and you came here.”

“It’s cozy.” Harley said as if it was a suitable explanation. 

“Helena has been sleeping on the  _ floor _ .” That alone had to be murder on Helena’s back. Dinah had no doubt.  _ Not that Helena will complain. _

“Look, when lovebird gets back from ridin’ her bike around town, you can ask her. She don’t mind, honest.”

“Harley.” Dinah took a deep breath. This didn’t need to become an argument. “You guys can’t stay here forever. You know that.”

“I hear ya doll, but you know I don’t have any money.  _ Unless _ .” Her eyes lit up, and Dinah realized exactly what she was thinking.

“Absolutely not.” Dinah warned. “You are  _ not _ going to ask Helena for money.”

“Oh come on,” Harley whined. “How many billions does she have again?”

Dinah’s voice lowered dangerously. “I will cut you.”

“Since when did you become her accountant, Canary?”

Dinah chewed on the inside of her cheek and crossed her arms. For a second she wanted to mop the floor with the stupid grin Harley gave her.

“Helena can spend her money however she wants.”

“Just not on me, right?” Harley clarified.

“You’re pushing it.”

“Am I?” Harley knew exactly what she was doing. Dinah wasn’t in the mood for it.

“Yes.” Dinah fished her phone out of her pocket and tossed it to Harley. “Start looking for an apartment.”

The door to the apartment swung open behind her, but Dinah didn’t have to look to know it was Helena by the light that hit Harley’s eyes.

“Lovebird!” Harley announced loudly.

“Oh thank God.” Cass muttered.

Dinah turned then, smiling when she saw Helena standing there holding her helmet in her hands. Helena’s eyes travelled between them before she frowned. 

“What now?”

“They’re fighting.” Cass chimed in before Dinah could say anything.

“We’re _not_ fighting.” Dinah and Harley said in unison.

Helena nodded slowly as she put her helmet down and started removing her jacket. “Not fighting.” She echoed quietly. “Okay.” Once she’d hung her jacket on the hook next to the door she sighed and looked at Cass. “What’re they doing?”

“Wow.” Dinah huffed.

“Dinah asked when we were leaving.” Cass explained. “But Harley told her we didn’t have anywhere else to go--.”

“Because I don’t have any  _ money _ .” Harley finished for her. “So we’re hanging out with you guys.”

“Then I gave her my phone and told her to start looking for apartments.” Dinah figured she might as well finish telling Helena the rest of it. “Then you walked in.”

“Right on time.” Cass laughed as Helena cut her eyes at Dinah. Dinah uncrossed her arms and could only sigh. 

“Okay.” Helena shrugged a little. “Find somewhere to stay. I’ll take care of it.”

Dinah bit her tongue, shooting a glare at Harley as Helena stepped around her. Harley mouthed out ‘didn’t ask’ before she stuck her tongue out. Dinah wanted so badly to smack her, but she didn’t.

“You heard her.” Dinah grumbled. “Start looking.”

* * *

“Are you mad at me?”

As Helena asked this, she was looking at the back of Dinah’s head as she rummaged through her closet. Helena would have knocked but the door had been left open. She waited for Dinah’s response, nervously drumming her fingers on the doorframe.

Dinah finally sighed, glancing at Helena over her shoulder. “Why would I be mad?”

_ Why _ , Helena didn’t know. But she felt it as soon as Harley and Cass had left the apartment to go on what Harley described as a ‘fun little adventure’. Dinah was upset about something, she had no doubt of it. The feeling had settled over the apartment like a heavy curtain and no matter what Helena did she couldn’t shake it.

“You’re acting different.”

When Dinah turned to look at her, Helena instinctively looked away. She could feel Dinah’s eyes on her regardless. Dinah seemed irritated above all else. Either way, Helena wanted to know. She would fix it, if she could.

“You don’t need to be giving Harley money, you know that.” Dinah finally said. Helena tilted her head and waited for Dinah to go on. “If you pay for this apartment she’s going to think you’ll give her whatever she wants.”

“I’m pretty sure she already thinks that.”

It wasn’t that Helena cared. Money wasn’t really an issue for her. She had more than she could spend in several lifetimes, after all.

“I just don’t want her taking advantage of you.” Dinah added. “I know how she is. Sometimes she means well, but…” Dinah trailed off and finished with a shrug.

_ But.  _ Helena thought she understood, so she nodded. “Okay. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll help them get the apartment, because I said I would.” She was a woman of her word, after all. “Maybe I can pay for it for a year or so, then she can take over. That way it’s not indefinite.”

Dinah gave her a stern look. “You’ll have to tell her that.”

“I know.”

“Well we can help her look, it shouldn’t be that hard.”

Helena nodded, one hand coming up to rub the back of her neck. “Okay.” 

She started to take a step back and leave Dinah alone, but a quiet ‘hey’ stopped her. Helena sighed and looked at Dinah with a raised brow. Dinah crossed the room to stand in front of Helena, then reached up to brush a thumb over her cheek.

“You look like shit.” Dinah said flatly. “When did you sleep last?”

“I got up around six-thirty.” There was no point in lying. Especially since Dinah knew how late they had been out. “I’m fine.”  _ I’ve had worse _ .

Dinah’s frown told Helena she didn’t like that answer. “How’s your back?” She stopped Helena’s answer by putting a finger over her lips. “If you say  _ fine _ , I swear to God--.”

“Stiff.” Helena muttered. 

“Come on.” Dinah lightly grabbed Helena’s wrist and tugged. “You’re taking a nap.”

“I am?” 

“Yes. You look like a freaking zombie.” Helena grimaced. She remembered what her reflection had looked like this morning. Zombie wasn’t too far off. “You can sleep in here for a little while.”

“I’m fine--.” Helena started, but Dinah levelled a glare in her direction that changed her mind. “I’ll just go to bed early tonight. Don’t worry about it.”

“Or,” Helena knew immediately she was fighting a losing battle. “You take a nap while Harley and Cass are out. Just for an hour or so.”

Helena let out a dramatic huff. “ _ Only  _ an hour. You promise you’ll wake me up?”

She didn’t want to waste time, especially on a nap she didn’t need. 

“An hour,” Dinah promised. “Got it.”

When Dinah smiled at her, Helena remembered what Sal had said to her that morning. She’d have been willing to wait, but her mouth moved faster than her brain. 

“Do you want to get dinner tonight?” She managed to get out. “With me? Uh--  _ just  _ me?” Dinah narrowed her eyes and leaned back to look at Helena better. Helena pressed her lips into a flat line and stared at her. 

“H, are you asking me on a date?”

Helena hadn’t realized she was holding her breath, but it came out as she answered. “Yes.”

Dinah’s answer came in the form of her cupping Helena’s face in her hands and pulling her down for a kiss. She sighed against Dinah’s lips, feeling the tension leave her shoulders. But then Dinah pulled away and winked at her.

“Take your nap. Then we can go to dinner.”

Helena’s heart skipped as Dinah walked through the door and shut it behind her.  _ We’re going on a date.  _ She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. 

She laid down carefully, letting herself sink into the blankets. Her back ached in protest but she did her best to get comfortable. She was supposed to take a nap. Helena had never needed to concentrate so hard on sleep before. Fortunately, her sheer exhaustion overcame the butterflies she was feeling.

* * *

“Is she still asleep?”

“Yup,” Dinah glanced over to where Harley was watching her in the mirror. She had come into Harley’s bathroom to apply her makeup and put on her jewelry. She pulled the lipstick away and pressed her lips together. “If you wake her up, I  _ will _ kill you.”

She didn’t miss the way Harley’s eyes rolled. “Relax, doll.” When Dinah straightened up to look at herself in the mirror, Harley stepped into the bathroom fully to look at her. “What’re ya gettin’ all dressed up for?”

“We’re going on a date.”

“ _ We _ ?” Harley looked at her in surprise. “You mean you and lovebird, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

Harley was grinning at her in the mirror. “Who’s idea was this?”

“Hers. She asked.”

Dinah heard Harley gasp, bringing a hand up to her chest. She feigned a sniffle. “They grow up so  _ fast _ .”

“Uh huh. Hey, go pick her out something to wear while you’re here.” Harley gave her a thumbs up and started to dart out of the bathroom. Dinah’s hand on her shoulder stopped her. “Wait a second--how’s this look?”

She turned so Harley could see better. The button-down shirt she had picked was a deep navy, almost black. Dinah had gotten tired of fussing with it and had tied a knot in the front to keep it from hanging too low. She thought it was cute, especially with the top two buttons open and her neck exposed. But Harley’s opinion was welcome.

Harley scratched her chin thoughtfully as she looked Dinah over.

“Hot.” Was the answer she finally settled on. “Roll the sleeves up. Oh-- here.” Harley reached out and quickly undid another button, exposing more of the skin on Dinah’s chest. “That’ll make her nose bleed.”

“Harley.” Dinah did her best to sound annoyed.

Harley winked at her and then disappeared. Dinah heard the closet door open a moment later, and could hear Harley moving things around. She gave herself one more glance in the mirror and sighed.

_ Guess I should wake Helena. _

Dinah had tried to wake Helena up after the first hour, like she had promised. But Helena had been sleeping so deeply when Dinah first checked on her that she didn’t want to disturb her. Dinah had made up her mind to let Helena sleep as long as she needed. Helena, normally a light sleeper, had slept straight through Dinah gathering her makeup and going through her closet. It had been a couple hours now since Helena had first laid down, so Dinah was willing to try again. 

Dinah found Helena just as she left her the last time, her legs stretched out and almost touching the edge of the bed, one arm tucked under her head. 

Dinah sat on the edge of the bed next to her, reaching out and touching Helena’s shoulder. “Come on, H. Time to get up.” She shook Helena gently and waited. After a moment, Helena began to stir. “Naptime’s over.”

Helena yawned and shifted onto her back. She stretched out her arms and grumbled to herself before she cracked her eyes open and looked tiredly up at Dinah. “How long was I asleep?”

“Couple hours.”

Helena sighed, covering her eyes with one hand. “You were supposed to wake me.” She muttered out the words almost too low for Dinah to hear. “Why didn’t you?”

“Honestly,” Dinah laughed, “You looked like you needed it.”

Helena yawned again before she sat up and began massaging her temples. “Okay.”

“Feel better?”

“Don’t know yet.” 

Helena’s eyes had closed, and for a second or two Dinah thought she was going to go back to sleep. When her eyes opened again she was much more alert. She turned her head to face Dinah, but her gaze dropped when she saw what Dinah was wearing.

“Whoa.” She said, raising a brow. “You look...nice.”

“We’re going to dinner,” Dinah laughed. “Remember?”

“Uh huh.”

“Harley is supposed to be--.”

“Hi.” Dinah jumped at the sound of Harley’s voice behind her. As if on cue, Harley leaned around the doorframe waving a purple blazer at the pair of them. When she got Helena’s attention, she beckoned her with one finger. “Let’s go, lovebird.”

“Again?” Helena asked. 

“I  _ told  _ you.” Helena huffed and pushed herself off the bed. Harley flashed a grin and disappeared, likely heading to the bathroom. “Don’t take too long.” 

* * *

“What made you pick this place?”

“Why?” Helena met Dinah’s gaze as Dinah peered at her from over her glass. “Don’t you like it?”

“No, I do.”  _ That was a lie _ . Helena was sure it was nice, when it wasn’t packed.

She couldn’t decide if most of these people came from a wedding or a funeral from the way they were dressed. But she and Dinah both looked a little out of place amongst them. Helena had been hoping for something a little quieter, or at least a little more private.

Not to mention they had barely touched their food. Helena looked down at the steak she had ordered and saw she had only eaten maybe two bites of it. Dinah had eaten less than she had, but had been dedicated in her efforts to push the plate around and pretend. 

They had been here over an hour now. By now, the food was cold. Helena couldn’t say she cared for how many people were sitting near them. It was just hard to talk like this, and it was clear they were both uncomfortable. 

This wasn’t going how Helena had expected it to. She had hoped, at least, to enjoy herself. But she and Dinah were both miserable. Dinah had been fidgeting with the rings on her fingers for twenty minutes now, at least. She didn’t want to be here anymore than Helena did, that much was clear.  _ Maybe I should say something _ .

She felt like it would be rude, but it would be better to at least have the  _ option _ of something different. A change of scenery might help.

Helena looked down at her relatively untouched plate, reaching up to drum her fingers against the tabletop. “Do you, uh--do you want to go somewhere else?”

“Oh thank god,” Dinah sighed in relief, her shoulders dropping. “Let’s go.”

Dinah practically leapt to her feet, leaving Helena to scramble to catch up with her. Helena paid on her way out the door, but Dinah was already outside. She was standing outside on the sidewalk, arms crossed.

“Sorry,” Dinah sighed when Helena made her way outside. “I mean, it wasn’t just me, was it? It was weird in there, right?” Helena nodded. More than anything she was relieved that she wasn’t the only one who had noticed. “Do you want to go get burgers instead? I know a place.”

“Better than here?” Helena jerked her thumb over her shoulder toward the door behind her. Dinah shot her a half-hearted glare and shoved her shoulder.

“Get your ass in the car.”

\-----

If Helena had been told that morning that she would have had dinner with Dinah at a place called  _ Big Belly Burger _ , she would have been skeptical at best. It was at least better than in a steakhouse surrounded by miserable overdressed people. Eating their cheeseburgers in the backseat of Dinah’s car was far more comfortable. 

But now the food was gone, the remnants of their trash collected in a bag in the front seat. Helena had turned in the seat to lay her back against the door, while Dinah was curled up in the seat next to her. Her head was resting against Helena’s chest, and Helena had taken her blazer off to drape it around Dinah as a makeshift blanket. 

It wasn’t the most comfortable arrangement, but Helena didn’t mind. The parking lot was empty by now, and the only sound she could hear was Dinah breathing or the occasional passing car. 

Helena wrapped her arm around Dinah and sighed. “Still better than the steakhouse.”

“Oh yeah?” Dinah let out a breathy laugh. “Even the fries?”

“Mmhmm.”

They grew quiet again for a few minutes, and Helena leaned her cheek against Dinah’s head. She’d stay like this for hours if she could. Helena let her eyes close so that she could just enjoy it.

“I used to come here with my mom.”

Dinah’s voice was quiet, but it got Helena’s attention. Dinah rarely mentioned her mother.

“That sounds nice.” 

She felt Dinah shrug. “I guess. We didn’t see each other much.”

“Why not?” 

Dinah took a deep breath. When she spoke again, Helena tried to concentrate on how her chest vibrated with each word. “She was too busy playing superhero.” Dinah’s hand found hers a moment later, absentmindedly tracing patterns on Helena’s open palm. “Kind of hard to grow up in Gotham when you’re left to fend for yourself. She was always trying to help other people. Then she died in the middle of the street. Alone.”

Helena opened her eyes and looked down. In the dim light provided by the streetlamp behind them, she could see the way Dinah was curled into her chest, the curtain of hair blocking most of her face.

“If you don’t want to talk about it--.”

“It’s fine.” Dinah’s voice was quiet now, barely more than a whisper. “You get it. They killed your mom too.”

For the first time in recent memory, the mention of her mother didn’t immediately cause Helena to see the blood trickling down her mother’s face as she lay dead on the floor. Instead, she was with Dinah. She was grounded. Helena took a deep breath as she pressed a kiss to the top of Dinah’s hair.

She thought she heard Dinah sniffle, but she couldn’t be sure. Dinah’s fingers grew still before she linked their fingers together and pulled their joined hands closer to her chest. Then, Dinah was changing the subject. “What about Sicily? I’m sure it was cool being raised by assassins, right? Or was it just twenty-four seven boot camp?”

Helena tried to think of where to start. “I was angry for a long time. My uncles were patient but...they had to teach me discipline before anything else.” She felt Dinah nod. Helena thought of Sal, and how patient but firm he had been with her. “It’s weird to have a kid tell you they want to avenge their family. Not--not normal things kids are supposed to think about. They needed to know I was serious - that I was worth training. My uncle Sal was the first one to take me seriously I think.” She couldn’t help but laugh. “Then I turned his beard gray.”

“Do  _ not  _ tell me you were a nightmare as a teenager.”

“Something like that.” Helena could still remember some of Sal’s better lectures. “I was too impatient. But I had to learn.”

“Oh see, I was just a little shit. I was always causing trouble. It--.” She stopped and sighed. “It was the easiest way to get my mom’s attention.”

Helena’s mind wandered then, to her own mother. Usually she didn’t let herself think too long about her, to spare herself from the pain if nothing else. She had never had to work for her mother’s attention. Her father had been a different story, but it hadn’t been until she’d spoken with Sal that she understood her father’s profession. His absence and inattention did not mean that he did not love her, or at least, Helena had never seen it that way. She could still see him, if she tried. The way his face fell when she was brought into the room. The way he had tried to shield her and Pino with his body as her mother had held them both close. It had been because of  _ him _ that she had survived. 

For years, Helena had wondered why _she_ had been the one to live instead of her brother. She had blamed fate, she had blamed _God_ when she still had faith in him. It had taken her a long time to accept that sometimes things just worked out that way. It was blind, stupid luck. Helena spent her life resenting that truth.

Helena wondered what Franco Bertinelli would say, if he could see her now. Crammed into the backseat of a car, cuddling with Dinah, but with all this blood on her hands. Would he be proud? What would her mother think? Having an assassin for a daughter hadn’t been part of the future they had planned.

“Helena?” Dinah’s voice spoke to her, but it sounded so far away. “ _ Helena. _ ”

She blinked rapidly, looking up at the roof of the car. She felt Dinah squeeze her hand, then realized Dinah had been talking to her. Dinah shifted onto her side a little so that she could lift her head and look at Helena. Her eyes were full of worry. “What happened?” Dinah whispered. “Where did your head go?”

Helena tried to process the question. A lie would be easier. Even if Dinah saw through it, it would be good enough. But she didn’t want to lie. 

Helena shook her head. “Just thinking about my parents. I’m fine.”

She was. She would be. This wasn’t the first time. 

After a moment, Dinah nodded. Helena was grateful when Dinah laid her head back down. “That happens.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to go home?”

Helena sighed. It was getting late. They  _ needed  _ to go home. But Harley was there likely waiting up to tease Helena when they got there. At home, she didn’t have  _ this _ . 

“Not yet.”

Dinah hummed in reply before lightly kissing the back of Helena’s hand. “Me either.”

* * *

“You’ve got some timing.” Renee was leaning over a desk, bearing her weight on her palms and staring at an open laptop. She didn’t look up as Dinah and Helena came up behind her. It was late. Dinah didn’t want to be here. “This better be good, Montoya.”

“Your boyfriend sent us some leads. He thinks the Penguin is up to something.”

Dinah tried not to let her eyes roll. She failed. “Oliver isn’t my boyfriend, Renee. We’ve been over this.”

“Mmhmm.”

“It’s late, Renee. Couldn’t this have waited until tomorrow?”

“Hey,  _ you  _ picked up the phone when I called. If you were busy--.” Renee straightened up and looked at her. Dinah never got to hear what Renee was going to say after that, because Renee saw what she and Helena were wearing and her entire expression changed. She smirked when she met Dinah’s gaze. “What, were you two on a date or something?”

“Absolutely not.” Dinah wanted to avoid this conversation at all costs. It was one thing for Harley to know they’d gone on a date. But if she told Renee now, they’d never hear the end of it. She caught Helena’s eye, only to find Helena staring at her looking a little confused.  _ Hopefully Renee doesn’t notice. _

“So you two got all dressed up to come see me? Here at the base?” Renee laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Oliver you’re cheating on him.” She finished with a wink.

“Yeah, well.” Dinah pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek.  _ We are not discussing this _ . “He’d know a lot about that.”

Renee must have noticed she had hit a sore subject, because she didn’t push her any further. Instead she turned her attention to Helena and crossed her arms.

“What about you, Bertinelli? What’s your excuse?”

Helena had sat down on a chair nearby, but was staring at the floor. She was frowning. Renee had to say her name again before Helena even looked at her.

“Are you paying attention, Helena? I asked you a question.”

“Oh. I--.” She stopped and cut her eyes at Dinah. Dinah said nothing, but she saw Helena’s jaw tighten before she looked away. “I wasn’t--. I wasn’t doing anything.”

Renee acted like she was going to say something else. But before she could, Helena pushed herself to her feet and walked away, disappearing down the hallway. Dinah watched her back as she moved, resisting the urge to go after her.

“Geez,” Renee laughed quietly. “Did the date go bad?”

It hadn’t. Of course it hadn’t. Dinah had actually been  _ enjoying  _ herself before they had been so politely interrupted. She couldn’t help but feel a little pang of guilt. She was only trying to spare the both of them from the endless teasing that was surely to come, after all. 

“Drop it, Renee.” She doubled down. “There was no date.”

“Okay.” Renee shrugged. “So what’s gotten into her?”

“I don’t know.” Dinah had an idea, but that wasn’t any of Renee’s business right now. 

“You rode together, was she acting weird before?”

“No, I don’t know.” Dinah shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. She’ll be fine.”

When Renee nodded, Dinah stepped over to the open laptop. “Show me these leads Ollie sent you.”


	8. Take it Down

“You’re the best, lovebird.” 

Helena couldn’t see Harley’s face because of the helmet she had given her, but she could tell Harley was smiling. 

“You’ve said that.”

She wasn’t in the mood to deal with Harley today, but she had promised. She had a sinking suspicion that if she had let Harley go meet with the landlord alone, Harley would not be getting into the apartment. The application had gone through, at least. Helena was hoping that if everything went well, they could have Harley moved in by the end of the week. She wasn’t above greasing some palms to make sure that happened.

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing.” Helena didn’t mean to snap the way she did, but she hoped it would deter Harley from trying to pursue this conversation. “Can we just go and get this over with?”

Harley shrugged but climbed onto the seat behind Helena. As soon as she got settled and wrapped her arms around Helena’s waist, Helena took off. The sooner they got there, the better.

They had only made it a block over before Harley tried again.

“Did Dinah say somethin’?” 

Helena tightened her grip on the handlebars and focused on the road.  _ I don’t know what the problem is _ . Helena was trying to hold Dinah at arm’s length while she figured out what was actually going on between them.

But without an actual conversation, it was hard. Helena was a lot of things, but she wasn’t a mind reader.

Harley was undeterred by the silence. As usual.

“What, did you guys fuck? Was it bad?” Helena caught herself speeding up. “I mean you’re both hot as shit, so I don’t think—.”

“Stop talking.” Helena growled. They hadn’t done  _ anything _ . Helena didn’t understand what had happened. The only thing she knew for certain was that she hated how confused she felt. How betrayed.

“Ya mean ya haven’t slept with her?” Harley sounded surprised. Helena could feel her chin resting against her shoulder. As they whipped through the streets it was getting harder to hear her over the wind. “I mean, I know Dinah has thought about it.”

Helena ground her teeth together. This was doing absolutely nothing to make her mood better. “Harley, shut up.”

“I’m surprised, lovebird. I thought you two were getting cozy.”

“Shut. Up.”

By now, even she would consider her speed dangerous, especially weaving in and out of traffic. If there had been a patrol car around Helena would be due for a ticket, if they could catch her. Harley’s grip on her waist grew tighter, but that didn’t stop her from running that damn mouth of hers.

“Just sayin’. Canary is always lookin’ at ya like she wants to jump your bones.”

Not enough to actually admit that they’d been dating. That stung more than Helena had expected it to. After all, Harley even knew what they’d been doing. What made Renee any different?

“You can talk to me, ya know.” Helena took a deep breath and tried to tune her out. “You guys are like my friends, right?”

“I—don’t—want—to—talk.” 

Harley let out a heavy sigh. “We’re goin’ really fast.”

_ That’s the point _ .

Harley finally seemed to take the hint, because she fell silent. Helena took the opportunity to distract herself. She had made a list. She’d gotten the cash from the bank, though she was second-guessing her choice of letting Harley keep it in the fanny-pack she’d been wearing lately. Everything else had been taken care of, they just had to go in person and sign some things and then hopefully Harley could move in as soon as possible.

Helena found the office easily enough, though it was smaller than she expected. She could see an older man through the window, seated at a desk inside. She parked the bike and pulled off her helmet, taking a second to comb her fingers through her hair.

“Remember what I told you.” She grumbled as Harley slid off the seat. “Let me talk.”

“Oh so you’ll talk to the old geezer, but won’t talk to me?” Harley pouted and shoved her helmet into Helena’s hands. “That hurts.”

Helena rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed today was to actually hurt Harley’s feelings, but right now she considered herself safe. 

“Do you want this apartment or not?” Harley’s lip was still stuck out, but she nodded. “Then let me handle this. All you have to do is sign the papers.”

“Okay,” Harley held her hands up in surrender. “Promise.”

Her promise didn’t make Helena feel better, and she certainly didn’t believe her. But she was going to give her a chance, at least.

Helena shouldered through the door, reaching back to hold it open for Harley once she was through. The man at the desk smiled when he saw them walk inside. 

“Can I help you ladies?”

Helena did her best to return his smile. “Yes, I called earlier about signing a lease.”

“Oh, Ms. Bertinelli, right?” When Helena nodded he produced a folder from the desk. “I’ve got everything right here. What about your friend?”

“This is Harley Quinn. She’s going to be the one staying here.” He visibly paled as he looked from her to Harley, but Helena chose to ignore this. She held her hand out palm-up to Harley, waiting for Harley to get the money from the fanny pack. It was still in bands provided by the bank, and once Harley had handed it all over Helena placed it on the desk. “I’ll be paying a year’s worth of rent. I know you said that was how long the original lease would last. After that, it’ll be her responsibility. Is that okay with you?”

He looked between the pair of them and began stammering out an answer as he looked at the money. After a few seconds he picked it up and began counting it. 

“That should cover the security deposit and whatever else you need, too.”

“Oh—of course—absolutely, Ms. Bertinelli.” His hands had started shaking. 

She raised a brow and glanced at Harley. Harley’s shrug was not comforting. 

Helena sighed, reaching across the desk and taking the folder. She grabbed a pen as well and handed both to Harley.

“Start filling this out.” She instructed.

Harley whined but did as she was told, plopping down in a nearby chair. 

Helena sighed. “How soon can she move in?”

The man was still flustered, but as Helena asked he seemed to recover somewhat. “Typically the end of the month—.”

“Do you have anything sooner?” The goal was to get Harley out of her apartment. Preferably by the end of the week. “If there’s a fee—.”

“Thursday.” He blurted out. “She can move in this Thursday.” 

“Perfect.” It was still a few days away, but Helena figured she and Dinah could survive that long without someone dying or the building burning down. They’d made it this long, hadn’t they?

“But the apartment won’t be furnished, I think I mentioned.”

She heard Harley stop writing, and she looked down to see Harley watching her, batting her eyes innocently.

“I’ll take care of that.”

Harley grinned from ear to ear and turned to the man at the desk. “Ain’t she just the best?” 

Helena didn’t hear him give an answer. She slid into a seat next to Harley and pulled out her phone. Dinah had texted her. She stared at the screen for a few seconds before she turned the phone face down and laid it in her lap. She didn’t want to talk right now.

“Does a hyena count as a medium or a large dog?” Harley nudged her elbow, and Helena looked over to see her pointing at the form. “Which do you think?”

It had been a while since Helena had seen Bruce. The landlord’s face was now white as a sheet, and he was staring at them with his mouth ajar.

“Uh...large.” Helena decided. Harley hummed her agreement then resumed scribbling her information across the page. Helena could only look at the landlord sympathetically. “Forget she said that. He’s tame. Mostly.”

“What about thirteen year-olds?”

Helena looked at Harley and laughed. “Cass doesn’t count as a pet.”

“Well she’s still a little shit.”

Her phone vibrated against her leg and she sighed. Dinah was a hard person to ignore, even when Helena  _ wanted  _ to. She waited another five minutes before she caved and checked her phone.

“ _ You seemed off this morning, are you okay? Do you want to talk?” _

“ _ No. _ ” Helena texted back quickly. “ _ I’m fine. _ ”

“ _ I don’t believe you. We’ll talk later. _ ”

She hated doing this. She wanted to talk to Dinah in  _ person _ . 

_ I could call her _ .

Sighing, Helena decided that was a bad idea. Then her phone lit up again.

“ _ I’m singing tonight, are you coming?” _

“ _ Of course _ .” Helena wouldn’t miss it, regardless of how she felt.

The phone screen eventually turned black, and Helena was staring down at her own reflection. She was gripping her phone tightly, trying to find the words. She wanted to say something about her feelings. Helena found herself arguing inside her mind about whether it was even worth it. She couldn’t make a convincing argument that it was. They were still friends, she thought. They still worked together.  _ Why can’t I just talk to her? _

That didn’t make the feelings go away, but it was worth a shot. She heard a low whistle next to her, before Harley’s hand waved in front of her vision.

“Anybody home?” Helena cut her eyes at Harley but said nothing. “I’m done,” Harley said, brandishing the folder. “Ready to go?”

Helena nodded. Harley slid the folder across the desk as Helena stood up. 

“Do you need us to do anything else?” Helena asked.

The man managed to shake his head. “I’ll call you.”

That was good enough for her. Harley skipped out the door in front of her and Helena murmured a goodbye before she followed her out. 

“That wasn’t so bad, was it lovebird?”

Helena shrugged. Harley let her climb onto the motorcycle first, too busy fussing with her helmet. By the time they hit the road back home, Harley had apparently forgotten her prior needling. She made no mention of Dinah, for which Helena was grateful. 

“This place is gonna be great.” Harley continued. “The kid will love it. Maybe we can even get Red to visit.”

Helena hummed and that seemed to placate Harley. They spent the rest of the ride in silence. Helena wondered if Harley had ever managed to be this quiet for this long before. Certainly not around her.

Harley managed to maintain this silence until they made their way upstairs into the apartment, where Dinah and Cass were waiting on them. 

“We’re back!” Harley announced in a sing-song voice.

They got an unenthused ‘yay’ from Cass, as Dinah looked over from the couch.

“How’d it go?”

“Oh it was great--.” Harley began diving into a recap for Dinah’s sake, while Helena put the helmets away. 

She could feel Dinah’s eyes on her as she moved around the room, but she said nothing. If Dinah was actually paying attention to Harley, she’d be surprised.

“So when can you move in?”

“Thursday!” Harley replied excitedly. “I’ll have to go get Brucie and-- oh and lovebird here is just the sweetest she said she’d get us some furniture.”

“Did she?” Helena stole a glance to find Dinah still watching her, brow raised.

Harley came to a stop when Helena nodded, stepping over and throwing her arms open. “ _ Thank you _ . Hug? Hmm?”

Helena sighed. This wasn’t her thing.

“You get  _ one _ .” 

Helena had no sooner finished saying it that Harley had thrown her arms around her in a rib crushing hug. Helena let out a grunt, but brought one hand up to pat Harley’s shoulders. “You’re welc--.” She stopped. Only because Harley’s hands had dropped down and were now gripping her ass. Helena managed to yank her other arm free from Harley’s vice grip and grabbed her by the shoulders to shove her off. “--and hug’s over.”

“Aww, c’mon.”

Helena didn’t budge. Instead, she spun Harley around and nudged her in the opposite direction. “Never again.”

“Lovebird--.” Harley whined.

“No.” 

Harley pouted, dragging her feet as she walked over to the couch to sit with Cass and Dinah. Helena met Dinah’s gaze over Harley’s shoulder as she walked away, but she couldn’t read Dinah’s expression. Her eyes had narrowed, and her jaw was set.

_ It doesn’t matter _ .

“I’m going to take a shower.” Helena grumbled. It was an excuse to be alone - somewhere she could be free from Dinah’s gaze - and Harley’s  _ hands _ . 

* * *

“Was that necessary?” 

Harley glanced over her shoulder at Dinah and raised a brow. “What?”

“Did you have to grab her ass?” It had been a few minutes since the shower had cut on, and now Dinah had no fear of Helena hearing them.

“Oh,” Harley’s eyes lit up. “Lovebird’s? Yeah. It was fun.”

Dinah ran her tongue over the front of her teeth and shot Harley a glare. “Can’t you keep your hands to yourself?”

“I don’t see you doing anything about it.” Harley shrugged, her attention going back to the television. “You’re not fuckin’ her, are you?”

“Wha—.” Dinah started. “No.”

“Maybe you should.”

Dinah brought her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “I’m not talking to you about this.”  _ Especially in front of Cass. _

“Okay.” Another shrug. “Don’t get mad at me ‘cause ya can’t get laid.”

“ _ Harley _ .”

Dinah stood up and moved behind the couch so she could walk around. She knew she was  _ pacing  _ but it got Harley out of her reach, which meant it was her safest option.

Dinah really couldn’t use Cass as much of an excuse. Cass had probably heard much worse by now, not to mention she wasn’t even paying attention. She knew even if she brought it up, Harley wouldn’t care.

“She didn’t want to talk about it either.” 

Dinah clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. “Why do we have to talk about it at all?”

“Do you think I’m her type?” Harley leaned her head backwards over the couch to look at Dinah upside down. She was grinning. “I mean since you don’t want her.”

“What the hell gave you that idea?” 

“You guys have been a little tense lately.” Dinah frowned. She forgot Harley paid attention to stuff like this. “You don’t wanna talk, she don’t wanna talk. So somethin’ happened.” 

Helena had been acting differently. Dinah had tried to ask her about it this morning when she texted her, but Helena had insisted she was fine. Even if they both knew it was a lie. 

“That still doesn’t mean you can just go around grabbing her ass, Harley.”

“Why? ‘Cause she don’t like it? Or ‘cause you don’t?” 

“Don’t start with me.”

Harley giggled. “I didn’t peg ya for the jealous type, Canary.”

“Will you  _ please _ just keep your fucking hands to yourself?” 

Cass snickered from where she was curled up in the chair.  _ I’m going to ignore that _ .

If she could only ignore the stupid grin on Harley’s face, she’d consider herself lucky.

“Tell ya what.” Harley was enjoying herself, there was no doubt. “When she gets outta the shower, you just ask her how she liked it. Since you won’t admit you’re just jealous.”

“I am not jealous.” Dinah growled.

“Ya think she’s ever ridden a Harley before?” She asked with a wink. 

Cass finally took her attention away from the television long enough to look over at her with a disgusted scowl. “ _ Ew _ .”

Harley fell sideways onto the cushions as she erupted into laughter. If Dinah had been able to reach anything nearby, she would have thrown something at her. She took a deep breath and tried to think of something else.  _ She’s just trying to get under my skin. _ Knowing that didn’t help, nor did it keep her from wanting to get one or two good swings in. But she wasn’t going to give Harley the satisfaction.

The sound of the bedroom door opening drew their attention away from Harley’s laughter. Helena emerged, freshly showered with hair still wet. Her towel was draped over her shoulders but her shirt was missing. She was wearing a black sports bra but Dinah couldn’t even enjoy the sight of all that skin thanks to Harley’s prodding. Upon seeing them, Helena looked at them with suspicion - as she always did. This time, there was plenty for Helena to be worried about. But Dinah was already moving. 

She covered the distance in three or four long but quick steps, and as she got closer Helena tried to speak. “I forgot my—.” 

She was cut off as Dinah’s hands reached up and grabbed the towel around Helena’s shoulders. Using the towel as leverage, Dinah used it to tug Helena closer. Then she crushed her mouth against Helena’s open lips without so much as a warning. Helena’s breath had caught in her throat, and for a moment she was completely frozen. Dinah was rough, maybe rougher than she meant to be, all teeth and tongue, but she could apologize later. Helena’s hands managed to make their way to Dinah’s waist, and for a moment Dinah thought Helena was going to push her off. Instead, Helena finally seemed to realize what was happening. Then there were fingers digging into her hips, pulling her closer. 

She wanted so badly to thread her fingers through Helena’s hair, but part of her was afraid that if she let go of the towel Helena might just buckle in front of her. Helena was breathing again. Or at least, Dinah hoped so. She started to forget where she was when Helena’s tongue brushed against her own. 

Their lips breaking apart into a series of several stuttered kisses, and Dinah was beginning to thoroughly enjoy herself. Harley cleared her throat, but Dinah didn’t care.  _ Eat your heart out. _

The only problem was that Helena heard too. Her hands abruptly came up between them, reaching Dinah's shoulders and pushing her back. When they finally managed to separate themselves, Dinah looked up at Helena and grinned. Helena was winded, her face flushed, and she stared at Dinah with wide eyes. They were almost glazed over, but full of questions. Helena dropped her hands after a moment of thought, her jaw still slack.

Dinah let out a breathy laugh, releasing her grip on the towel as she watched the heavy rise and fall of Helena’s chest. Helena’s eyes darted down to Dinah’s lips, and for a second Dinah expected another kiss. Instead, Helena sucked in a deep breath and started to snap out of her daze.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Helena asked quietly.

Dinah didn’t understand why Helena looked so confused. It didn’t make sense. 

“Well that was fuckin’ gross.” Cass muttered.

Dinah looked away from Helena to find both Cass and Harley staring at them. Cass looked appropriately disgusted, but Harley was watching gleefully.

“Yeah you two, get a room.” Harley snickered.

Dinah bit back the first sarcastic comment that jumped to her tongue. She wasn’t going to start a back and forth with her again. 

Helena shuffled beside her, using her hands to take Dinah’s shoulders and shift her out of the way. 

“—shirt.” Helena murmured, as if her brain had finally caught up and remembered what it was she had been trying to say before this. “Need a shirt.”

She made a beeline for her closet and grabbed the first shirt she found. Helena yanked it on over her head and started toward the door, grabbing her motorcycle keys and heading out before Dinah or Harley could say another word. Dinah frowned and cast a glance at Harley.

“That went well.” Harley giggled.

“Shut up.” Dinah growled. 

Before Harley could say anything else, Dinah stomped over to her bedroom and went inside. She slammed the door behind her, locking it once it was shut. 

She didn’t understand what was  _ wrong _ . 

She sat down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. She just wanted things to go back to normal - or whatever that had become for them now. 

_ Did I say something? _

If she could just get Helena to talk to her, she could find out. But that was damn near impossible right now, especially with Harley around. Part of her wondered if this change had been brought on by Harley’s persistent presence. Dinah didn’t know what the real cause was, but she didn’t want to push Helena away. If they had to  _ make  _ time to talk, she would, so long as she got to the bottom of this.

* * *

Each breath set her lungs on fire. Helena closed her eyes, bent at the waist as she took a moment to relax. She gripped the bar tightly in her hands and counted as she breathed.

_ One...two...three...four.  _

She exhaled and counted again. A bead of sweat rolled down her neck. She didn’t want to be angry anymore.

Everything had been going so well. She had been happy, hadn’t she? But Dinah was different. When they were alone together, everything seemed  _ fine _ . It was only when someone else was around that she changed. Helena didn’t understand why. It didn’t make sense that Dinah was willing to  _ kiss her _ in front of Harley, but wouldn’t even tell Renee they had been on a date. 

Helena didn’t know why it hurt. She hated feeling like she had made a mistake, like she had done something wrong. 

She just wanted to understand.

She had left the apartment and come straight to their  _ base _ . She could be alone here, and she had ample ways to distract herself. When she had come into the building her decision had been almost immediate. She couldn’t be angry if she exhausted herself to stop thinking about it.

Helena stood straight and sighed. She’d lost count.  _ Again _ . 

She twisted the bar a few times in her hands and then looked up at the salmon ladder. Her whole body was sore, now. Helena knew she was now overexerting herself, but this was the only way to get Dinah out of her head. Hanging from the first rung, she could feel the pull in her shoulders and her back. The burning ache that spread around her and constricted her chest slowly began to replace the rage. She didn’t know how many times she had done this in the last hour, but if the pain was any indication - it was too many. She hoisted herself up to the second rung and exhaled slowly. 

It would be easier to just be friends.  _ I shouldn’t have even tried _ . It was nothing more than a distraction. 

_ Then why am I so upset? _

She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she continued to climb the ladder. Despite her efforts, she still thought of only Dinah. When she was around Dinah, Helena couldn’t deny how at ease she felt - usually - and how Dinah’s mere presence calmed her in a way that Helena hadn’t felt in years. It wasn’t fair, though Helena knew that already.  _ Life  _ seldom was. Being friends and nothing more was for the best. For them individually, and especially for the Birds of Prey. But that didn’t mean Helena had to like it. That wasn’t what she wanted at all.

The last rung was within reach now, and with every breath the fire spreading from Helena’s lungs made its way up her throat. 

Dinah had asked her what she wanted. Helena’s answer had not changed. She only wanted Dinah. She hated how something so simple had made things so much worse. 

It hadn’t been enough that Dinah had kissed her, it was just after avoiding and dancing around each other for days it felt strange and suddenly out of place. Helena would have enjoyed it were it not for that. 

Harley wasn’t leaving until Thursday. Which meant Helena would have to either continue avoiding Dinah or force herself to make time to talk. 

Helena missed the top rung entirely. The bar in her hands clanged against the metal but didn’t catch. She tried to catch herself on the way down, but she was too late. She landed with a thud on the padded floor below. Before she could cover her face, the bar fell down with her, one end striking her in the jaw. Helena breathed heavily as the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, and she brought her hand up to check if the bar had broken the skin. Her fingers came back red, though not so much that she was worried. The pain was more than enough.

_ Hope I didn’t break anything. _

She opened her mouth slowly, shifting her lower jaw side to side and testing it with her fingers. With her tongue, she checked her teeth. Nothing felt damaged, but she was sure there would be a nasty bruise left as a reminder. Helena sighed and shoved the rest of the bar off her chest. It slid across the mat next to her and she brought her arm up to cover her eyes. 

She tried to swallow down the anger while she caught her breath. She tried to count again. Inhale, hold it, exhale. When her breaths finally levelled out, she rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself onto her knees. Her cellphone, still lying where she had tossed it nearby, began to ring. Helena closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists and slammed them down into the floor.

“Fuck!” 

She ran a hand through her hair and stared at where her phone lay.  _ I don’t want to talk to Dinah.  _ Helena found herself glaring across the room, willing the phone to just go silent. Eventually, it did. Only when it was quiet did she stand up and go to see who had called. The screen lit up with a voicemail notification, and only when she opened it did she realize it was from Sal. 

Guilt washed over her immediately as her finger hovered over the play button. She couldn’t take her anger out on him.

“Hi, Helena,” Sal’s voice was as smooth as silk coming through the speaker. “I was just calling to check in with you. It’s getting late and I was getting ready for bed. You don’t have to call me back, it wasn’t important. I’ll catch up later, love you.”

She cursed herself under her breath and immediately called him back. It wasn’t until the phone began to ring that she realized she didn’t  _ actually _ want to talk. She just wanted to hear his voice.

“You know,” Sal chuckled when he picked up the phone. “I  _ did  _ tell you that you didn’t have to call back.”

_ I know _ .

Helena said nothing. She couldn’t even bring herself to open her mouth. There was a beat of silence on the line before she heard Sal shuffling around in bed. He was likely sitting up. Even a world away, even without her saying a word, he knew something was wrong.

“Helena?” His voice was softer, and his laughter was gone. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She counted to three before she sighed. “No.” As the word was forced from her mouth, her voice cracked. Even without that, she knew she had given herself away.

She folded her legs underneath herself to sit down cross-legged on the floor. She held the phone with one hand and let her other elbow rest on her knee, forehead propped against her hand. 

She heard Sal clear his throat. When he realized she wasn’t going to talk, he let out a quiet ‘okay’.

“I’ve started a garden, you know.” He told her. She hadn’t asked, but she knew immediately what he was doing. He had many years of practice distracting her, or calming her down. Despite the distance between them, Sal was still trying to take care of her. “Tomasso told me I was an idiot for digging up the backyard, but what else are we going to do back there?” Helena closed her eyes and tried to pay attention. “I have around a dozen rows plowed up right now.” His voice was low, and his level tone was comforting. With each word he spoke Helena could feel herself relaxing. “All I’ve planted is tomatoes. I spent weeks online doing research about the best way to--.” By now, Helena had stopped listening. She kept her eyes closed and just tried to focus on the rhythm of his voice. Everything else began to slip away from her mind, Sal succeeding where she herself had failed.

Until it came to Dinah. 

_ Why can I not get her out of my head? What’s wrong with me? _

All she wanted to know was what had happened, what had gone wrong, and what she needed to do to fix it. Sal couldn’t help her with any of that, even if she did manage to talk to him about it.

Sal was still talking and Helena tried again to listen. She wondered what she had missed. “--I read online about what kind of fertilizer was best, but I think they were just trying to sell me something. It was way too expensive. It’s just tomatoes. I mean how good does the fertilizer  _ have  _ to be?”

Helena couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to say something. She wanted to let Sal know what was going on, to  _ try  _ and explain it to him. But she couldn’t bring herself to form the words.

“ _ Sal _ .” Her voice was shaky as she said his name, but when he heard her voice he stopped talking and listened. Helena swallowed hard and tried to think of what to say.

“Is it Dinah?” The question took her off guard. She hadn’t said  _ anything _ , but still Sal knew. All Helena could do was nod. The silence carried over the line, and she heard Sal sigh. “Okay. You know I can’t see you, right?”

She nodded again despite this. Helena pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arm around them. She hated feeling this way. It was like she was a child again. Sal had spent countless nights staying up with her, just like this. But back then she was still scared, and lonely. Now she was just upset. The back of her eyes began to burn, but she forced herself to blink until the feeling passed. Sal waited a few more seconds for her to say something, but when she didn’t he sighed again. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” She hated how weak her voice sounded.  _ It’s just Sal. You tell Sal everything. _

“Helena…”

She opened her eyes and looked down at her lap. She tried to clear her throat. “...Tell me about the tomatoes again.” Her voice was quiet now, resigned. She couldn’t help but feel a little defeated.

_ Why does this have to be so hard? _

“Okay.”

* * *

“ _ I’m outside _ .”

Dinah read Helena’s text and smiled. “ _ Hold on, I’ll come let you in. _ ”

She was in her dressing room and had been putting on her makeup. She gave herself a quick one-over in the mirror before she stepped out into the hallway. 

The security guard that was stationed outside the back door gave her a curious look when she opened the door and walked past him. She saw him glance down at his watch, but he didn’t question her. 

Helena’s motorcycle was parked behind her car. Helena herself was leaning against the hood of Dinah’s car with her arms crossed. 

“I was wondering when you were going to show up,” Dinah laughed. “If you had waited much longer you’d have been late.”

She received only silence in return.  _ Something is wrong _ . Dinah hadn’t been able to shake that feeling all day, but now that she saw Helena alone she  _ knew _ . She sat down next to Helena and sighed. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

“ _ I’m fine _ .” Helena said through gritted teeth. Her hands were balled into fists and she was pointedly staring at the ground.

“Liar.”

Helena cast a quick glance at her, but didn’t try to argue. Dinah could tell she was angry, she just didn’t understand why. 

_ This would be so much easier if I could just get you to talk. _

“What is your deal today?” Helena wouldn’t look at her. “Don’t you dare tell me it’s  _ nothing _ either, like I haven’t noticed.  _ Talk _ to me.”

“I don’t want to talk.” Helena’s voice was growing louder with each word. “Drop it.”

She looked at Helena and frowned. Helena’s jaw was black and purple, and there was a smear of dried blood from where the skin had been scraped by something. 

Dinah clicked her tongue in disapproval. “Who’d you pick a fight with this time?” She reached up to tilt Helena’s head so she could see better, but before Dinah could touch her, Helena had snatched her by the wrist.

“Don’t fucking touch me.” Helena snapped. She held Dinah’s gaze for a few seconds before Dinah yanked her wrist free.

“You alright, Canary?” Dinah saw Helena’s eyes dart to where she knew the security guard stood at the door behind her. 

“I’m fine.” Dinah assured him. She stared Helena down, waiting for her to say something else, expecting another outburst.  _ She won’t talk here _ . That was, of course, if she would talk at  _ all _ . Dinah had to try, at least. Grabbing Helena by the wrist, she pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go.”

Helena huffed in protest, but followed all the same. Dinah led her to the door, noticing how the guard sized Helena up. 

“She’s my friend,” Dinah explained before he could ask. “Or my roommate. Whatever.”

“Whatever.” He repeated, opening the door for them. “Got it.”

Dinah practically dragged Helena down the hallway, making a beeline for her dressing room. She knew that regardless of the mood Helena was in, she wouldn’t be willing to talk to Dinah if there was an audience. If she could just keep Helena from shouting, they’d be in the clear.

Dinah let go of Helena’s arm once they were inside her dressing room and she shut the door behind them. “Sit down.” She instructed. 

Helena did, but as she collapsed onto the chair she crossed her arms and looked anywhere  _ but  _ Dinah. Had she been in a better mood, Dinah would have even accused her of pouting. Helena was still too angry for that right now.

“Helena, what’s going on?” Dinah would only ask the question once. If Helena didn’t want to talk, they wouldn’t. She couldn’t make her, after all. When Helena took a deep breath but said nothing, Dinah shrugged and turned her attention to the mirror. “Suit yourself.” She needed to finish putting her makeup on anyway.

The silence that followed was suffocating. All Dinah could do was try to ignore it. Helena was treating her like a total stranger.

_ I thought we were past this. _

A glance in the mirror showed Dinah that Helena was staring at the door, chewing on her bottom lip. Dinah sighed and leaned closer to the mirror so she could apply her mascara. 

“I--.” Helena started. Dinah heard her shift in the chair but didn’t look at her. “I’m just...confused.” Dinah frowned, but didn’t ask. She didn’t want to interrupt her yet. “I’m not used to this.”

“What?” Dinah looked at Helena’s reflection in the mirror. 

Helena opened her mouth, but nothing came out. After a couple seconds Helena closed it and straightened her back against the chair. Helena had been avoiding Dinah for a reason, and had been increasingly more angry as the days had gone by. Dinah was going to get to the bottom of this.

“Helena.”

Helena sighed and tried again. “This.” She repeated. “What--whatever we’re doing.”

“We can always stop.” It wasn’t what Dinah wanted, but she would rather stop now if it meant they could still be friends. “Is that what you want?”

Dinah put her mascara down and watched Helena’s face. To her surprise, Helena met her gaze in the mirror. Helena took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. 

“No.” Then she looked away again. “I don’t know. Give me a few days.” She didn’t seem so angry now. Helena looked defeated, more than anything. 

“Okay.”

“I’m sorry.”

Dinah sighed and turned around so she could face Helena properly. “Why?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Listen,” Dinah stepped a little closer and smiled. “You’ve got plenty of time to figure it out. I’m not going anywhere. I told you, we’re a team.” 

For the first time since Helena sat down, she unfolded her arms. She offered her right hand to Dinah, pinky out.

“Really?” 

“Mmhmm.”

Dinah laughed but hooked their pinkies together. When she pulled her hand back, she saw Helena begin to relax. 

“Can I ask you something?” Helena asked softly. Dinah’s immediate nod made her continue. “Why did you lie to Renee the other night?”

Dinah frowned as she tried to remember what Helena was talking about. Helena tilted her head as she watched Dinah concentrate.

“ _ Oh _ .” It finally clicked. “When she asked about our date?”

Helena nodded.

“I figured it would be easier to blow her off. She would have given us both a lot of shit, you know that.”

That got the faintest smile out of Helena. “Yeah, probably.”

“We get enough of that from Harley.” Dinah rolled her eyes. “Besides, Renee is already bugging me about Oliver.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about your boyfriend.”

Dinah  _ thought  _ Helena was teasing her, but part of it still rubbed her the wrong way. “You too, huh?” Dinah asked. She knew it wasn’t Helena’s fault, and she didn’t want to get angry over this now. “How many times do I have to spell this out for you guys? We’re just friends.”

“Then why’d you keep the ring?” There was no challenge in Helena’s voice. Helena didn’t want to start an argument either. Dinah had to stop and take a breath before  _ she _ tried to start one anyway. 

“Here.” 

Dinah turned around and went back to where her makeup was scattered below the mirror. In the corner lay the ring, as well as the necklace she kept it on. She scooped it up, rolling the chain into her palm. With the ring in hand, she returned to Helena.

“That toy car, it was your brother’s wasn’t it?” Dinah asked. Helena hesitated before she nodded, but Dinah had already known the answer. “Can I see it?”

There was unease in Helena’s eyes as she rummaged through her pocket before retrieving the plastic toy car. Dinah held her empty hand out expectantly, and was not disappointed when Helena handed it over. 

“Thank you. Hand.” Helena stopped, leaving her hand extended toward Dinah. In Helena’s open palm, Dinah laid the ring. “There you go.”

Helena was hesitant, but when Dinah said nothing else she took her finger and brushed it across the necklace until it had straightened, so she could see the ring better.

“Oliver wouldn’t take it back when we broke up.” Dinah explained. “I  _ tried _ to give it back. I didn’t want it. We didn’t--.” She stopped and thought about leaving it there. But Helena, of all people deserved to know. Dinah hadn’t even told Renee this, and likely wouldn’t. “We’re better friends than we are a couple. We got in way too many fights, and maybe he cheated one too many times. It didn’t work.” 

It got a quiet ‘oh’ out of Helena, but Dinah wasn’t done yet.

That had been  _ years _ ago now, and Dinah felt stupid for talking about it now. “We wanted to stay friends. Then my mom died.” She looked down at the toy car Helena had given her and sighed. “I-I didn’t have anybody else. Except Ollie. He came back to Gotham as soon as he heard.” Dinah could still remember how lonely and defeated she had felt. She had never told  _ anyone  _ this. “I tried to give the ring back again a couple weeks later when he left. This time, he told me to keep it just so I knew I always had a friend.”

“I didn’t know,” Helena admitted quietly.

“No one does.” Dinah shrugged. “It’s none of their business. But you - well - I figure if I expect us to go on anymore dates, it has to be your business.”

Helena’s anger and bitterness was gone, now. When Helena offered her hand out to return the ring to Dinah, her expression was soft, the way Dinah was used to. 

“I’m sorry, Dinah.”

“Don’t be,” Dinah sighed. “Like you said, you didn’t know. No way you could, unless I told you.” She smiled a little. “Kind of funny that you were jealous.”

“I wasn’t--.” Helena began to protest, her cheeks turning red.

“Look, so long as you keep Harley’s hands off your ass, we’ll call it even. Deal?” Helena looked at her sheepishly, but she nodded. “Are  _ we _ okay?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Dinah handed Helena the toy car back, letting her fingers linger against Helena’s palm. “Any time we’re not, just talk to me. Promise?” She got another nod. 

Dinah’s eyes were once again drawn to the nasty bruise on Helena’s jaw. Cautiously she reached up and let her fingertips brush against it, careful not to hurt Helena. This time, Helena let her. 

“Can I take care of this now?”

“Yes.”

Dinah smiled, and grabbed one of her cotton makeup wipes and a bottle of water. “You bled a little bit.” She explained. 

“Oh yeah.”

She opened the water bottle and used it to wet the wipe in her hand. “Are you going to tell me what happened now?” Dinah would be lying if she didn’t find the black and purple splotching a little concerning.

“I fell.” Helena finally muttered, her eyes shifting to the side so she didn’t have to look at Dinah. “Off the salmon ladder in the base.”

“You  _ fell _ and that happened?”

“The bar hit me in the face.”

Dinah brought her free hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Of course it did. You couldn’t have gotten into a fight like a normal person.”

“Next time.”

“Uh huh. Hold still.”

Helena obeyed, though Dinah was sure she would have done so even without being told. She wiped off the dried blood as best she could, trying not to put too much pressure on it. It wouldn’t do much for the appearance, but at least it would be cleaner.

Dinah saw Helena wince once, but she didn’t complain. Dinah tried to be quick, but had no doubt that the area was tender. 

“Sorry.” She murmured when Helena’s eyes snapped shut. 

Helena grumbled a little but Dinah was already done. There was not much else she could do. She tossed the wipe in the trash then tilted Helena’s head back. Leaning down, Dinah gave the underside of Helena’s jaw a light kiss.

“There. Now it’ll heal faster.”

“Is that so?” Helena teased.

“Yes.” Dinah said firmly before kissing her jaw again. “It’s science.”

Helena was still blushing but she returned Dinah’s smile. Dinah decided to take the chance, leaving a chaste kiss against Helena’s lips. She studied Helena’s face carefully when she pulled away. “Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

Helena’s shoulders had relaxed, and she no longer looked like she was being interrogated. Dinah could have even described her as looking comfortable. 

_ At least she’s not pissed off anymore. _

“Come on.” She took Helena by the hand and pulled her to her feet. “I’m gonna grab you some ice, then I gotta hit the stage.”

Dinah led her through the back-of-house, using the exit closest to the bar. She nudged Helena toward the first open stool she found, then flagged down the bartender.

“What do ya need, Canary?”

“You got any ice?”

She received a puzzled look in return. “Ice?”

“Yeah.” She motioned toward Helena. “Preferably in a bag.” The bruise would do the rest of the talking.

“Oh shit.” He laughed when he saw Helena’s face. “I’d hate to see the other guy. I’ll go grab that for you.”

While they waited Dinah leaned against Helena’s side, one arm resting on Helena’s shoulder. After a couple minutes the bartender returned with a fresh bag of ice, wrapped in a clean dish towel. Dinah muttered her thanks as he passed it to her, then she pressed it against Helena’s jaw.

“Ow.”

“Keep this on until I’m done, okay?” Dinah asked, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. “It’ll help.”

A huff was all she got in response. Despite this Helena took hold of the bag of ice, keeping it in place. 

“Fine.”

Helena was  _ pouting _ . If Dinah had brought her phone with her she would have taken a picture. It was a missed opportunity. 

She grinned and quickly kissed Helena’s cheek. “I gotta go. I’ll be back soon.”

Dinah left Helena at the bar and headed toward the stage. Halfway there, she turned her head to check on Helena. Knowing her, she expected Helena to put the ice away. Looking back only proved her right, because Helena had already laid the bag on the bar. When she saw Dinah had turned around she looked away sheepishly. 

Fighting the urge to laugh, Dinah lifted one hand and gave Helena an ‘I’m watching you gesture’. Helena sighed dramatically, sticking out her lower lip. But after a moment’s hesitation she returned the ice to her jaw. So long as Helena knew Dinah could see her from the stage, it would be fine. Dinah would call her out from the stage if she had to.


	9. Build it up

“You’re doing it again.” Dinah spoke gently from the other side of the table. “Where’s your head at, H?”

Helena snapped out of her daze and sat up a little straighter. She’d been staring out the window watching people on the sidewalk, and clearly it had been longer than she thought if Dinah was reminding her.

“Sorry.” Helena grumbled. “Just thinking.”

Dinah’s eyebrow twitched upwards and Helena knew what Dinah wanted without her saying a word.  _ Talk _ . They’d been working on it.

“ _ Planning _ .” She corrected herself. As soon as they finished eating, they were going to head over to Harley’s apartment and help assemble all her furniture. Harley and Cass had spent their first night in the new apartment the night before, if only to wait on the delivery truck. Helena had ordered everything online, and had it delivered directly to Harley, but it had shipped - disassembled and in boxes - something that was far too much for Harley and Cass to handle on their own. Helena had resigned herself to spending the day cooped up in the apartment building dressers and bed frames, but she wanted to have a plan. Even with Dinah and Renee’s help it would be better to be organized.

Dinah had her elbow resting on the table, chin propped on her hand. She had stopped eating breakfast and was now watching Helena intently.

“Oh,” Helena sighed a little. She was still trying to get used to this. “I want to get the bedrooms set up first, bed frames, mattresses, dressers, closets, whatever.” Dinah was nodding along, which was good. “Then we’ll worry about the rest.” She had a mental checklist of what she  _ wanted  _ to get done, and was trying to delegate the tasks. “If Harley doesn’t get in the way--.”

“I have a plan for her,” Dinah assured her. “What do you need me and Renee to do?”

“I don’t know yet.” Helena only hoped that the apartment didn’t already look like a disaster. “We’ll figure it out.”

Helena looked down at the plate in front of her. She had barely touched her food.  _ I need to eat _ . Renee would be calling them in a few minutes to find out where they were with her coffee. 

As Helena busied herself with eating, she heard Dinah laugh.

“What?” She asked without looking up.

“I think the waitress has a thing for you, H.”

Helena choked on the forkful of eggs she’d just bitten into and brought her hand up to cover her mouth. “ _ What _ ?” She repeated with a wheeze.

The corner of Dinah’s mouth turned up with a smirk, and as Helena continued to cough and sputter she reached out and nudged Helena’s glass of water closer. Helena nodded and reached for the glass. She took as deep of a drink as she could manage, thankful she could finally breathe again. 

Dinah’s eyes were bright with her own amusement. “You gonna make it?”

“What makes you think that?” Helena whispered.

“Well she hasn’t been staring at  _ me _ .” Dinah replied coolly.

Dinah had folded her hands together on the table, and she turned away from Helena to look across the restaurant. Helena followed Dinah’s gaze and found the waitress in question, standing at the register. After a few moments she looked up and saw Helena. She smiled at Helena and gave her a little wave. Reflexively, Helena waved back.

Dinah cleared her throat. “What did she say when you asked for the to-go order?”

Helena shrugged. She had ordered three breakfast sandwiches to take back for Renee, Harley and Cass, then had ordered Renee a coffee. Helena tried her best to think back on the conversation. 

“Her name’s Vanessa,” Helena could remember seeing that on her nametag. “She said she liked my shirt.” 

Dinah gave her a look of pure disbelief, letting her gaze drop to Helena’s shirt. Helena leaned back a little and looked down. The long-sleeved t-shirt had been Sal’s. At one point in time, it had been black - though after a decade of wear and tear it had long since faded. The shirt was intact for the most part, though it had started to fray around the wrists. It had ‘Italia’ written across the chest in big blocky letters colored green, white, and red. Helena could remember when Sal had bought the shirt in Rome, to try and blend in with a group of American tourists. 

Sal had kept the shirt at her insistence, though she had always suspected that he hated it. Helena wasn’t at all surprised when she arrived in Gotham and found that Sal had tucked it away in one of her suitcases.

“ _ That  _ shirt?” It was clear Dinah was trying to hide her laughter. “Okay, so what did  _ you  _ say?”

“...Grazie?” Dinah’s mouth twisted as she tried to fight her smile, her eyes shifting to one side. Helena looked over at her, confused. “What?”

“Here’s your to-go order, ladies.” There was a hand suddenly resting on Helena’s arm, and she looked up to see their waitress standing next to her.  _ Vanessa,  _ she reminded herself. She had bagged the food up and put Renee’s coffee down next to it on the table. “And here’s your check.” She said this more to Helena, laying a folded piece of paper down next to Helena’s arm. “You can take care of that when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.” Helena said with a smile. 

She gave Helena a wink before she walked away. As soon as she was out of earshot, Helena heard Dinah mutter a smug ‘told you so’. Helena gave Dinah a quick glance, shrugging before she reached for her wallet. 

Credit card in hand, Helena grabbed the check and unfolded it. Handwritten at the bottom in tight, neat writing was a cellphone number and a hand drawn smiley face. 

“Uh...I think she gave me her number?”

“You  _ think _ ?” Dinah reached across the table and snatched the check from her grasp before Helena could say anything else.

“Why would she--  _ oh _ .” 

This earned her a quiet chuckle from Dinah. “You should probably tell her you have a girlfriend.”

“But I don’t--.” An arched brow from Dinah stopped her from saying anything else.

Helena could feel the blush rising to her cheeks as Dinah rose from her seat. “Will you take all this outside?” 

“I-I was going - to uh - pay” Helena began stuttering.

Dinah’s lips curled into a mischievous grin as she tried to speak. Helena had brandished her credit card to emphasize her point when Dinah leaned across the table. Dinah planted one hand on the table to keep her balance and keep her from falling into the leftover food. She gently cupped Helena’s chin in her free hand, pulling Helena closer in the process. When Dinah kissed her, Helena forgot what she’d been trying to say entirely. It was quick but soft, and when Dinah pulled back she plucked Helena’s credit card away.

“I got it.” Dinah winked at her and spun around. “I’ll see you in the car.”

Helena sat there, stunned, watching Dinah walk across the restaurant. When Dinah reached the cash register Helena remembered what she was doing. 

_ Food. Renee’s coffee _ . 

Helena grabbed their things and made her way outside. Dinah had parked next to the curb, and by the time Helena had put Renee’s coffee in the cupholder, Dinah had joined her outside.

“No receipt,” Dinah said as she climbed into the driver’s seat. “Hope you don’t mind.”

Helena shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Do you want me to call Renee and let her know we’re on our way?”

A ‘sure’ from Dinah was all Helena needed to pull out her phone and dial Renee’s number. 

“Where the hell are you, Bertinelli?” Renee answered the phone so fast she’d likely been holding it in her hand.

“We’re on our way.” Helena told her. “We got your coffee.”

“You better hurry, kid. Harley has already made a mess.”

“Uh,” Helena’s mind raced to how many worst-case scenarios there suddenly were. “What kind of mess?”

Renee’s reply was worrisome. “You’ll see.”

The line went dead and Helena sighed. “Great.”

“How bad is it?” Dinah asked.

_ There’s no telling _ . “She wouldn’t say.”

Dinah gave her a sidelong glance, but Helena had nothing to add. She began drumming her fingers against her leg, watching the road. Whatever Harley had done would have to be fixed, though she tried to be optimistic.

_ Maybe it’s not that bad _ .  _ Renee would have stopped her.  _

She spent the rest of the ride in silence. Her mind was too busy running over all the potential what-ifs to try and talk. Dinah, however, didn’t seem to mind.

When they pulled up to the apartment building, Helena grabbed the food. Dinah led the way inside, guiding Helena to the elevator. Ten floors later, the doors slid open with a ding and Dinah looked over at Helena and smiled.

“Come on.” She said. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Debatable.” Helena muttered.

The door to Harley’s apartment was inconspicuous, and part of Helena was relieved that the door was still on its hinges. In fact, they were both inside the apartment before Helena realized anything was wrong. The apartment was bare, as she had expected. Renee was leaning against the kitchen counter, looking toward the living room. Renee didn’t turn when she heard Helena and Dinah enter behind her, she merely held out her hand - expecting her coffee.

Helena handed it over silently, before she saw Cass. Cass was sitting on the couch - something Harley had picked up off a curb a few days before - with her legs folded. Harley wasn’t far away, kneeling down on the floor amidst a pile of opened boxes, with pieces of wood and tiny, sealed bags of screws scattered around the floor. From the looks of things she had opened almost everything, and was sorting through the instruction manuals.

Helena stared at her in disbelief, startling slightly when Dinah took the bag of food away from her. 

“Breakfast.” Dinah called, trying to get Cass and Harley’s attention. “Got yours too, Montoya.”

Helena took a deep breath, steepling her fingers together and lifting her hands up to her face. It would take half an hour at least to sort through the mess Harley had made, especially if they expected to put anything together properly.  _ This _ was not how she expected to start the day.

“Thanks guys!” Harley skipped over to Dinah and snatched one of the wrapped sandwiches from her when it was offered. Then, she tossed the stack of instruction manuals she’d been holding onto the counter. “I was trying to get a headstart.”

“I’ve got a better plan,” Helena heard Dinah laugh, followed by the jingle of keys. “Why don’t you and Cass take my car and go look for something to decorate the walls. They’re looking kind of...empty.”

Harley’s eyes widened and she let out a shriek of delight before snatching Dinah’s keys away. “Let’s go, kid. Ya can eat in the car.”

“Wait--.” Dinah grabbed her by the arm and stopped her before she could run outside. “ _ Please _ try not to steal anything. Okay?”

“No promises.” Harley blurted out before she ducked forward to leave a swift peck on Dinah’s cheek. “See ya later, doll.”

Cass was hot on her heels. “Bye guys.”

As soon as the door shut, Helena watched as Dinah’s shoulders fell with a sigh. “I’m going to regret that.” Dinah reached and picked up the manuals Harley had discarded. “I’m going to go work on sorting this out, okay?”

Helena nodded.  _ We’ve got a lot of work to do. _

“You go get started in Cass' room. When Renee is done eating she’ll come help.”

Dinah gently nudged her arm, and Helena allowed herself to be turned toward Cass’ waiting bedroom. When she stepped into the doorway she was relieved to see that Renee had propped the new mattress against the wall, and that all of the boxes had been untouched. Helena took a deep breath and felt herself relax. It would be good to work in peace.

* * *

“Have you heard from Oliver lately?”

Dinah didn’t look at Renee, who was seated at the newly built kitchen table next to her, but she did shrug. “You talk to him more than I do, Montoya.” Dinah had texted him, but nothing more. “What do you need?”

“Just asking.” Renee said as she shifted in her seat. “I heard the Penguin was reopening the Iceberg Lounge, so I figured Oliver would want one of us to be there.”

Dinah shrugged. “You’d have to ask him. I haven’t.” She was getting impatient too, but only because his leads hadn’t yet  _ gone  _ anywhere. But she knew he was coming to Gotham soon, it was only a matter of when.  _ I can always text him later _ .

Right now she was preoccupied. She and Renee had taken a break after they had finished making Cass and Harley’s beds. The kitchen table and all the chairs were finished, and Helena had put together a TV stand. Renee had immediately plugged the television in, and it was running through the news, though Helena had stubbornly muted it. 

They had made quick work of the apartment, especially after Dinah had reorganized Harley’s idea of help. They had been working at it all day, and it was now almost time for dinner. Helena had not taken a break since they’d had lunch, and even then Dinah thought it might have only been for about five minutes. With everything else together, she only had a coffee table and a bookshelf left, and Helena was determined to finish before Harley got home.

Dinah had spent the last fifteen minutes watching her. The bruise along her jaw, still dark and ugly, had begun to turn yellow around the edges. Slowly, it would get better. Helena was sitting on the living room floor with her back against the couch. She hadn’t been listening to Renee and Dinah’s conversation, but that had been true for most of the day. Helena was too engrossed in the work she was doing. Even now, she sat with one of the instruction manuals in her lap, screwdriver in hand. Dinah had noticed her routine by now. Helena read through the manual once, then made sure all the parts and all the screws were accounted for. After that, her work began. It was very precise and methodical, as opposed to Renee, who had put an entire dresser together in an hour and a half after inventing six or seven new curse words sprinkled in between every ‘you stupid motherfucker’.

Helena turned a page and sighed, reaching for a nearby piece of wood. She pulled it onto her lap, glancing between it and the manual. As Helena looked down she raised a hand to her right shoulder and began rubbing it absentmindedly. Dinah could see how tired she looked. 

Dinah stood up and left Renee in the kitchen. She walked over to the couch and sat down behind Helena, leaving Helena sitting between her legs. On the cushion next to her, Dinah found Helena’s half-eaten sandwich from lunch. Renee had ordered from a nearby deli, but Helena had not paid much attention to the food. Once Dinah was settled behind her, Helena gave her a mumbled greeting.

Dinah hummed, sliding her hands down to Helena’s shoulders. Helena’s back straightened but she didn’t stop working, even as Dinah’s hands slipped under her collar. Dinah began kneading Helena’s shoulders with her fingers, rubbing slow circles with her thumbs. 

Helena’s neck and shoulders were tighter than Dinah had expected. Her right shoulder had a knot in it, that Dinah could feel under her thumb. The first time she pressed into it, Helena drew in a sharp breath.  _ I’ll have to work on that _ .

As she massaged Helena’s shoulders, Dinah leaned forward so she could see what Helena was working on.

“What’s this?” Dinah asked quietly. 

“Coffee table.” Helena grumbled. “I think this is supposed to be a drawer.” 

“Oh.”

With her left hand, Helena lifted up the manual from her lap so Dinah could see it. “Can you read Swedish?”

“No.” 

Helena placed her finger on the page, then with a flick of her wrist flipped to the back of the manual. Then, she offered it to Dinah again. “How about German?”

“Huh-uh.” Dinah laughed. “Is there no English copy?”

“No.” Helena huffed and flipped back to the place she’d marked with her finger. “Harley managed to lose the manual for this that had the languages I  _ do  _ know. Good thing there’s pictures.”

Helena went back to work, but Dinah counted it as a victory. That was the most Helena had said to her  _ or  _ Renee since Harley had left the apartment that morning. 

As bored as Dinah was, her goal hadn’t been to distract Helena. Dinah continued to watch for several minutes, but kept working her hands into Helena’s shoulders. She listened carefully to the way Helena was breathing, trying to adjust how much pressure she needed. She didn’t want to  _ hurt  _ Helena, and hadn’t done this to make her uncomfortable. But Helena’s breathing was slow and steady, and Dinah could see her chest rise and fall as she continued to massage her. Helena’s eyes had closed, and her hands were still, though she still loosely held onto the screwdriver. Helena’s head eventually began to roll to the side and Dinah could feel the knot rising in her right shoulder. Now determined, Dinah decided to work on it. Dinah’s left hand came up and guided Helena’s head down, stretching her neck as Dinah used the heel of her palm to press into the strained muscle. 

Dinah smiled to herself, feeling the knot gradually begin to release. A low groan escaped Helena’s throat when Dinah finally succeeded.  _ There we go. _ Helena’s head rolled forward, her chin coming to rest against her chest. Dinah didn’t immediately remove her hands, finding too much pleasure in the warmth of Helena’s skin and the muscle she found underneath. She settled on lightly scratching Helena’s back instead, if only for a little while. It felt good to know Helena trusted her enough to let her do this. When Dinah did finally pull her hands away, Helena straightened up and rolled her shoulders. If anything, she certainly seemed more relaxed.

“She’s not going to get anything done if you keep that up.” Renee teased.

Dinah only shrugged. Reaching down, she used Helena’s chin to gently turn her head so that Helena could look at her. Dinah leaned forward, giving her a soft kiss. She did her best to keep it innocent enough, especially since Renee was nearby.  _ I’ve already learned that lesson _ .

There was still a little confusion in Helena’s eyes when Dinah pulled away, but when Helena’s gaze dropped to where Dinah knew Renee was sitting, a blush rose to her cheeks.

“About time.” She heard Renee mutter.

Dinah let out a breathy laugh, succumbing to the urge to leave another kiss against the corner of Helena’s mouth. 

She didn’t see Renee roll her eyes, but she certainly felt it. “Bertinelli, the legs on that table are backwards.”

Dinah glanced down as Helena did, only to find that Renee was right. Helena quickly muttered ‘fuck’ under her breath, but Dinah moved faster than she did. Reaching down, Dinah took the screwdriver away from her and then tossed the manual aside.

“Here.” Dinah told her. “I’ll fix it. You take a break.”

Helena’s eyes shifted between her and Renee for a moment, but Helena gave her a shy smile and nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

Then, Helena unfolded herself and stood, allowing Dinah to take her place on the floor. If she was being honest with herself, Dinah had expected it to have been a little harder to convince Helena to move. Not that she minded. She fought the sigh in her chest when she looked down at the manual Helena had left her and saw that it was still in Swedish.  _ This might take a while. _

Helena, after taking some time to stretch, had made it to the kitchen, and was pouring herself a glass of water. Out of the corner of her vision, Dinah could see Helena still smiling softly to herself. 

“Helloooooo!” Harley’s voice, muffled by the door, called to them from the hallway. The jerk in Renee’s shoulders matched Helena’s. “Can ya open the door?”

“She’s back early,” Renee sighed.

“It’s fine,” Helena said, reaching for the door. “We’re almost done.”

Dinah craned her neck to see better as Helena pulled the door open for Harley. She staggered inside, arms wrapped around a milk crate that was stuffed full of bottles. Perched precariously on top was a small potted tree, which was blocking Harley’s face from view. 

“Thanks, lovebird.” Harley huffed, swaying sideways before she managed to put the crate on the kitchen counter. Cass came into view a moment later, carrying a stack of pizza boxes. “We brought food.” She picked up the tree and held it up for them all to see. “Look what Red gave me, ain’t it cute?”

Dinah couldn’t stop herself. “Poison Ivy gave you a plant? Is that safe?” She laughed when Harley shrugged.

“I think it’s fake.” Harley picked at one of the leaves. “But it’s pretty!”

“Poison Ivy?” Renee looked at Dinah and arched her brow. “I didn’t know she was back in town.”

“Yeah!” Harley’s eyes were shining with excitement. “She’s been watching Brucie for me.” Harley had made lots of enemies out of her former ‘friends’ following her break-up with the Joker, but it seemed Poison Ivy wasn’t one of them. “I asked her to come over, but she was busy with her plants.”

“So what’s in the crate?”

A toothy grin split Harley’s cheeks, and she began lifting out bottles of alcohol. “I thought you guys would wanna have a house-warming party.” Suddenly, she retrieved the biggest bottle of vodka Dinah had ever seen, pushing it into Helena’s arms. “Whaddaya think, lovebird? I know Montoya wants to drink, you wanna have a party?”

Helena’s eyes shifted from Harley to where Dinah was sitting as she bit her lip.

“Sure…”

* * *

The game had been Harley and Dinah’s idea. The old school cop movie that was playing on the television had been a coincidence, but had been the basis of the game. The rules were simple. For every line of dialog that sounded like something Renee  _ would  _ say, they took a shot. For everything Renee  _ had  _ said, they took two. There were other rules that Helena had now forgotten, but she had given up after the first thirty minutes when it had become apparent that she would get alcohol poisoning by the end of the movie. 

Dinah, Harley, and Renee had kept the game going for as long as they could. Then the second movie had started, and Renee had fallen asleep. Helena could hear her snoring from the opposite end of the couch. 

Helena was tired, too. The edges of her mind felt fuzzy, and time seemed to be moving in slow motion. She had been watching the movie - or trying to - but she wasn’t able to remember what was happening. Her breathing had slowed, and her eyelids were growing heavy.

Dinah had gone to the bathroom. Helena had forgotten about this entirely until Dinah walked in front of the television.  _ Oh _ . Helena smiled up at her, stifling a yawn. 

“Hi.” 

Dinah giggled, sliding into Helena’s lap and draping an arm over her shoulders. Their foreheads bumped together, causing Dinah to wince.

“Ow. Hi.”

Dinah’s head came to rest against Helena’s shoulder as Helena loosely wrapped her arms around Dinah’s waist. Renee was still snoring, the noise starting to blend in with the movie. If she had been left to her own devices, Helena would have probably fallen asleep. But then Dinah started kissing her neck. At first Helena didn’t pay Dinah any mind, but her brain slowly caught up. 

“Dinah…” Helena huffed and started to pull away.  _ Focus _ . “Where’s Cass?”

“In her room.” Dinah murmured against her skin. “Door’s closed.”

“Where’s Harley?”

Renee was asleep, there was no question there. But Helena couldn’t help but worry - she hadn’t seen  _ or  _ heard Harley in some time. 

“Mmm dunno.” Dinah stopped long enough to cast a brief look around. “Don’t care.”

Helena couldn’t think of a convincing argument once Dinah kissed her. She could taste the alcohol on Dinah’s tongue, but didn’t mind. Everything began to blur together. Dinah’s fingers tangled into her hair pulling Helena closer, nails dragging against her scalp. Helena was doing her best to concentrate, to fight back the fog that had descended upon her after having one too many shots. 

The weight of Dinah in her lap was the only solid thing Helena could feel. Everything else felt uncoordinated and sloppy. Helena fumbled with Dinah’s shirt, managing to slip her hands under the fabric. Static coursed through Helena’s fingers as they roamed up Dinah’s back. The fabric of Dinah’s shirt was constricting, and all Helena wanted to do was have it out of the way, to let her hands explore the way they truly wanted to.

When Dinah pulled back, Helena let out a huff of complaint. She nipped at the hollow of Dinah’s neck with her teeth, smiling against the soft skin there when Dinah gasped.

“Here.” Dinah breathed, her mouth pressed against Helena’s ear. “Help me take this off.”

* * *

It was times like these that Dinah cursed her decision to wear such tight clothing. She was still trying to pull her shirt off when the sound of shattering glass came from the kitchen. Helena grew stiff beneath her, one arm wrapping tightly around Dinah’s waist, the other grabbing hold of one of her thighs. Dinah realized why a moment later when Helena stood straight up. It was practically effortless the way Helena lifted her up, and all Dinah could manage was to stare at her.

“ _ Oh. _ ” Dinah breathed, letting one of her hands wander down to Helena’s arm.  _ That’s hot. _ Her mind began racing with all the things she would rather be doing with Helena right about now, but Helena’s attention was elsewhere. She cradled Dinah carefully but kept her eyes trained on the kitchen.  _ Oh yeah. _

“Fuck was that?” Dinah finally asked, craning her neck to see.

“Dunno.” 

Helena gently helped Dinah stand and while Dinah busied herself with straightening her clothes, Helena stepped around the couch carefully, jaw set and eyes focused on the kitchen. The silence was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Dinah could see Helena holding her breath, trying to listen. Then came the quiet hiccup. Helena froze, looking over her shoulder at Dinah and raising her eyebrow. Dinah shrugged.  _ I don’t know _ .

Taking a step closer, Helena stood on tiptoe to try and see over the counter.

“Harley?” Helena asked hesitantly. Another hiccup came in response, but Dinah saw Helena’s body begin to relax. She quickly stepped into the kitchen, but Dinah made sure she was close behind.

Harley was sitting on the floor, leaning against the refrigerator. On the floor nearby lay the remains of a shattered bottle of vodka. Harley’s head was swaying side to side, and when she saw the pair of them she smiled.

“Hiiiiii.”

Helena sighed. “What did you do?”

An over-exaggerated shrug was the best that Harley could give them. 

Helena glanced at Dinah and shrugged.

“I’ll get the broom.” Dinah told her.

Helena nodded, holding her hands down for Harley to take. She pulled Harley to her feet, dropping one hand to Harley’s waist to steady her when Harley’s legs threatened to give out. Harley draped an arm around Helena’s shoulders and stared at her in awe.

“God, lovebird, you’re just the best.”

As Dinah got the broom out of the closet, she heard Helena sigh. “You’ve mentioned.”

She swept the glass up, making sure to go over it twice in case she missed anything. In the meantime, Helena was doing her best to keep Harley distracted and on her feet.

“Oh my god,” She heard Harley whisper. “Do you guys wanna do body shots?”

That didn’t sound like a bad idea, especially if Helena was involved. But Harley seemed drunk enough without that.

“I, uh, I think we’re good.” Helena muttered. She was trying to lean Harley up against the counter without having her fall over. “You probably shouldn’t drink anymore.”

Harley’s bottom lip stuck out a pout and she crossed her arms indignantly. “You never do anything fun.”

Five minutes ago, Helena had been trying to help Dinah get undressed.  _ We have different ideas of fun _ . Helena had been buzzed, or even drunk, but she was hiding it very well now. She was doing everything slowly, carefully trying to maintain control. 

Harley had quickly moved on. As Dinah swept up the last of the glass into the trash, Harley was doing her best to grope every inch of Helena she could reach. Before Dinah could say something, Helena had taken hold of Harley’s wrists to stop her, grip loose enough not to hurt her.

“You want fun?” Helena asked. “Alright,  _ without  _ drinking, what do you want to do?” Harley’s eyes closed slowly, her head rolling to one side. “Harley.”

Harley’s eyes fluttered open again after Helena gave her a nudge. She looked from Dinah to Helena slowly and sighed. 

“You wanna dance?” The words ran together as Harley asked the question. 

Still holding Harley by the wrists, Helena looked at Dinah. A few seconds passed as she held Dinah’s gaze. The question was in Helena’s eyes, though she didn’t say anything. She was asking for  _ permission. _

Dinah gave her a nod.  _ What could it hurt? _

“Okay.” Helena let go of Harley’s wrists slowly, making sure she could stand on her own before she released her completely. “Just...stand here.” Once Harley was steady, Helena retrieved her phone. “I’ll cut on some music.”

Harley didn’t follow the instruction very well, and after holding still for a few seconds she saw Dinah and her eyes brightened.

“What about you?” Harley asked, staggering closer to her. “You gonna dance?”

“I don’t think so,” Dinah laughed. “Go ahead.”

The music started to play from the speaker on Helena’s phone, causing Harley’s head to bob along to the rhythm. Helena said her name, trying to get Harley’s attention, but Harley didn’t seem to hear her. 

“Harley?” Dinah echoed. 

Harley stopped moving, bringing her hand up to her stomach. Her smile had faded now, and she looked sick. “I don’t feel so good.” She mumbled.

Dinah tried to take a step back as Harley’s shoulders lurched, but it was too late. Harley threw up all over the front of Dinah’s shirt, and Dinah staggered backwards to try and avoid getting hit again. 

“Oh shit.” Helena was faster than either of them, and had scooped Harley up by the waist, moving her away from Dinah as she threw up again. This time, the kitchen floor caught all of it.

“Bathroom.” Dinah fought down the urge to gag as she pinched her nose closed. 

Helena said something behind her, but Dinah couldn’t make out what it was as she rushed into the bathroom. She was already yanking her shirt off, and as she stepped through the door she tossed the soiled garment into the sink and reached to cut the water on. There was no way she could go home and get a new shirt, and she didn’t think she had one in her car. The goal was to at least rinse the vomit off, then she could wash it properly once she was at home. Sighing, Dinah tried to scrub the worst of it off. 

She could hear Helena’s music still playing, and there was some rustling coming from the kitchen. She could only hope that Harley had stopped throwing up by now.

Dinah’s stomach felt damp from the bile that had seeped through to the skin. Once her shirt was as clean as it could be, she began the search for some soap and a clean cloth to wash herself with. Her pants, at least, seemed unscathed. 

She scrubbed for a few minutes, longer than she probably should have, just to feel clean again. 

The knock on the door frame startled her, and she saw her reflection in the mirror jump at the sound. 

“Dinah?” Helena’s voice was soft, and full of worry. “You okay?”

Dinah sighed and saw Helena peeking around the doorframe. “Yeah, I’m fine. Where’s Harley?”

“Asleep…” Helena’s eyes travelled down her body once, and only once. Then they snapped away from Dinah quickly, looking at the floor. “She’s okay now, I think.”

“Good.” The last thing Dinah needed was to spend the rest of the night holding Harley’s head out of the toilet. “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

What little of Helena she could see disappeared from sight, but Dinah could still hear the music pouring from her phone. She hadn’t gone far. A few seconds later, Helena’s arm was stuck through the door, shirt in hand. Helena had taken her shirt off, and was now offering it to Dinah.

“Here.” She muttered. 

“It’s fine, H.” Dinah laughed. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I don’t need it.” Helena insisted. 

Not wanting to argue, Dinah took it from her and slipped it on. The only problem was the shirt was already too big and baggy on Helena. After a glance in the mirror, Dinah could only laugh. On  _ her _ it looked like a dress.

She had to admit it was comfortable, and it was better than the alternative. Dinah unfastened her pants and pulled them off. It was late, and she found herself suddenly tired.  _ I won’t need those until tomorrow _ . Folding them neatly, she laid them on the bathroom counter. 

“You can look, you know.” She said, directing it toward the door.

There was a pause. She would have thought Helena had left by the silence, were it not for the persistent music. “...I know.”

“Come here.”

Cautiously, eyes still cast downward, Helena stepped into the bathroom. She was wearing a navy sports bra, which explained why she was more willing to part with her shirt. Smiling, Dinah tipped Helena’s chin upward with her hand, forcing Helena to look at her.

“Thank you.”

Helena’s cheeks were flushed, and she gave Dinah a shy smile in return. “You’re welcome.” She seemed like she wanted to say something else, but instead Helena stifled a yawn.

“Tired?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Well, where’d you put Harley?”

Helena’s face broke into a grin that spread from cheek to cheek, and she could only look away.

“Helena?”

“...on the kitchen counter.” Helena finally answered. “I figured she’ll be safe up there, so long as she doesn’t roll off.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. That was  _ exactly  _ what Harley would end up doing, there was no question. “I’ll need to go clean up—.”

“No.” Helena insisted. “I did it already.”

“Oh,” Dinah said softly. She didn’t know why she was surprised, but she wouldn’t complain. “We can sleep in her room then. Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” Dinah reached down and took Helena by the hand. “Come on.”

Dinah fought off a yawn of her own as she led Helena to Harley’s room. She looked over to check on Renee as they walked by, but she was still snoring on the couch.  _ She can sleep through anything _ . Dinah kept the light off as a courtesy, just in case. Once they were in the room, she pushed the door up behind them. 

Helena was fumbling with her phone, clearly trying to cut the music off. Dinah reached over, putting her hand on top of Helena’s. 

“Leave it,” She told her. “Do you wanna dance?”

Helene’s heavy-lidded eyes looked at her, confusion painted across her face.

“What?” Dinah teased. “So you’re willing to dance with Harley, but not me?”

“It’s different.” Helena muttered. Still, she let the music play, and when Dinah withdrew her hand Helena laid the phone down on the nightstand. 

Helena was giving it some thought, watching Dinah quietly though she could barely keep her eyes open. But then Helena extended her arm out, offering Dinah her hand. Dinah smiled as she took it, allowing Helena to pull her close. 

As Helena’s arms enveloped her Dinah let her head rest against the crook of Helena’s neck. They were both too drunk to dance properly but Dinah didn’t mind, it was an excuse to be close, especially as she wrapped her arms around Helena’s waist and pressed her fingers into the small of her back. Dinah would have preferred that they ended up in bed together doing something else entirely, but they were both too tired for that now.

She had to admit this wasn’t a bad alternative, pulled in by the warmth of Helena’s body as they swayed to the music. It was late, and the room was dark. If it wasn’t for the glow of Helena’s phone on the nightstand, they’d have no light at all. Once her eyes adjusted, Dinah didn’t mind. Helena was little more than a silhouette, but even in her drunken state she held Dinah securely against her chest. It was a comforting thought to know that even drunk, she was with Helena, and that was the safest place in Gotham she could be. 

Helena had started humming, though Dinah couldn’t tell when it had begun. The noise was so low that Dinah almost couldn’t hear it at all. But with Helena’s cheek leaning against the side of her head, Dinah could feel every vibration as it reverberated through Helena’s chest and through her throat. 

Dinah’s eyes fluttered shut, tiredness beginning to seep into her bones. Still, she felt compelled to listen, even if it meant she fell asleep on her feet. 

_ Helena wouldn’t let me fall _ .

The shirt Helena had given her had begun to hang off her shoulder. Dinah wouldn’t have even noticed the shirt had moved down if it weren’t for the cool tips of Helena’s fingers that she now found tracing over her right shoulder. After Helena had circled the spot a few times, Dinah realized what she was doing. With two of her fingers, Helena was lazily tracing the outline of the canary tattoo Dinah had on her shoulder. The realization brought a smile to her face, along with the knowledge that given the lighting, Helena was doing this from memory. 

Eventually her hand grew still, the humming stopped, and Helena lifted her head up.

“Dinah?” Helena’s voice was heavy from the pull of sleep. “Are you my girlfriend?”

The question took her a little off guard. She could remember bringing it up at breakfast. “Caught that, huh?” 

“Yes.” She looked up and could see Helena tilting her head as she looked down at her. “But I think you just wanted to say that to make the waitress jealous.”

“You think so?” 

“Mmhmm.”

Dinah couldn’t decide if Helena was just  _ that  _ drunk, or honestly oblivious.  _ She’s lucky she’s cute _ .

“And what if I wanted to be your girlfriend?”

It was a shame that Dinah couldn’t see most of Helena’s face. Helena took a few seconds to process what Dinah had said before she began stammering nervously and trying desperately to string a sentence together. 

“I-I-uh - I didn’t--.” Helena started. “I didn’t think you wanted that.”

“You never asked, did you?” Dinah countered. “You said you needed to think about it.”

“I mean - I thought--.” She stopped and huffed, pulling away to try and collect her thoughts. “But I do - want  _ that _ ...with you.”

Helena was struggling. Dinah skipped ahead for her. “So you  _ do  _ want to be my girlfriend?”

“ _ Yes. _ ”

Dinah took one step and closed the distance between them. She leaned in close to Helena’s ear and grinned. “Was that so hard?” The deep breath Helena took gave her the answer. “But the real question is, are you even going to remember this tomorrow?”

Helena was still trying to fight sleep, and Dinah could feel it as Helena leaned into her with her full weight. 

“I will.” Helena promised. “Don’t worry.”

“ _ Good _ .” Dinah nudged her toward the bed. “Then let’s get some sleep.” If she didn’t get Helena in bed soon, Helena would likely keel over and take Dinah down with her, and Dinah had no interest in sleeping on the floor.

* * *

Sunlight, Helena decided, was the devil.

She brought one hand up to shield her eyes from the rays bursting through the window, slowly forcing her eyelids open as she tried to adjust. A pounding headache had settled behind her eyes, and the morning sun did little to help this. She let her eyes shut again with a groan.

_ I’m never drinking again. _

Right now, that was all she could remember. She’d been drinking.

There was warmth in the bed next to her. Reflexively, Helena moved closer, but was met with some resistance. A quiet grumble followed, and Helena’s eyes shot open in surprise. 

Lying next to her, facing the window, Helena found Dinah - sound asleep. More importantly, this wasn’t her bed - or her couch- and this wasn’t her apartment. 

_ What happened? _

She sat up, wincing as the pressure in her head only worsened. Looking around the room, she did her best to remember.

_ Harley’s apartment. Harley’s bed. That stupid drinking game. _

It all began coming back to her in pieces, though most of it was still fuzzy. The couch, Dinah’s mouth on her neck, the way her hands had all-too-eagerly tried to tug Dinah’s shirt off.  _ Harley _ .

She could remember now that Harley had thrown up on Dinah, and derailed everything. Helena was surprised at her own disappointment, but part of her was relieved. They hadn’t  _ done _ anything. If they had, she’d at least like to remember it.

Helena kicked the sheet off her legs and swung herself around to sit on the edge of the bed. When she pushed herself to stand, the room spun around her. She held her hands out to steady herself, and after taking a few deep breaths the dizziness left her. Her mouth was dry, her throat scratchy. She would have killed for a glass of water, but first she needed to take care of the bright sunlight.

Shuffling around the end of the bed Helena focused on the window. She fumbled helplessly with the blinds for a few seconds before they lowered, casting the room in shadow and relieving her eyes from the pain she’d been enduring. Helena let out a contented sigh before she turned her attention back to Dinah.

The light was no longer shining in Dinah’s face, but her brows were still lowered into a frown. She was still wearing Helena’s shirt, though it was so big on her that the sleeves hung down over her hands. Helena stepped over to Dinah’s side of the bed, smiling as she looked down at her. Tentatively she reached down and brushed Dinah’s hair out of her face. Dinah’s face had begun to relax, and her deep, rhythmic breathing told Helena she was still asleep. Helena bent at the waist, leaning over to leave a gentle kiss against Dinah’s forehead. 

_ I need to check on Renee and Harley _ . 

When Helena stepped out of the room, she made sure to pull the door up behind her. The first person she found was Cass, who was seated at the kitchen table munching on a piece of leftover pizza. When they locked eyes, Cass’ mouth fell open.

“Oh shit, two out of four ain’t bad.” She laughed. “Renee! Helena’s alive.”

“She is?” The volume of Renee’s voice caused Helena’s head to throb. “Where’s Dinah?”

“Asleep.” Helena’s voice felt hoarse.  _ I need water _ . 

“But  _ alive _ ?” Cass clarified. “That makes three.”

Helena didn’t understand what she was talking about. But she didn’t want to ask.

“You look like you’ve had fun.” Helena looked in the direction that Renee’s voice came from, only to find her seated on the couch with a cup of coffee in hand. Renee looked her up and down once, smirking to herself. Confused, Helena looked down and saw that she was clad in only her sports bra and a pair of shorts. Her pants were...somewhere. She couldn’t remember where just yet.  _ Dinah has my shirt _ . She didn’t have the energy to try and explain that to Renee right now.  _ She can think what she wants _ .

“Head hurts.” Helena grumbled. She downed half the glass of water in one gulp, bringing much needed relief to the dryness in her throat. When she lowered the glass, her head felt a little clearer, though the headache persisted. She gave the apartment a once-over, eventually finding Renee again and frowning. “Where’s Harley?”

_ That  _ is who was missing. It was quiet in the apartment, too quiet without her. The last time Helena had seen her, Harley was curled into the fetal position on top of the kitchen counter. This was where Helena assumed she had fallen asleep. But there was no sign of her. Renee’s shrug did not help.

Helena’s temper flared. “What do you mean you don’t know?” She pointed at the kitchen counter, motioning along with each word for emphasis. “I - left - her -  _ right  _ \-  _ here _ .” 

“Well I’m telling you - we ain’t seen her.” Renee countered.

_ This is bad. Oh this is bad.  _

“We’ve gotta find her.”

Helena cursed under her breath and began tearing through the apartment.  _ I should have known better than to leave her alone _ . There was no telling now where Harley was or what kind of trouble she’d managed to get herself into. Helena hadn’t experienced drunk Harley before last night, but her imagination took over and she didn’t have to think too hard about it.

Harley wasn’t in Cass’ room, she wasn’t in the bathroom, she wasn’t anywhere Helena could  _ see _ , as she tore through the apartment like a hurricane. She even opened the door and looked into the hallway outside, but there was no sign of Harley anywhere. By the time Helena came back inside, Renee was standing up and looking around. 

“Told ya,” Renee shrugged. “She ain’t here.”

Massaging her temples, Helena walked back to the kitchen to return to her water. She leaned heavily against the counter and sighed. In the corner of her vision, she could see the door on the cabinet under the sink was hanging slightly ajar.

_ No way. _

Reaching down, Helena flung the door open with one swift movement. 

She could hear Renee standing nearby. “I know her janky-ass isn’t--.” But Renee never finished the thought. Because Harley  _ was. _

Curled into a ball, stuffed into the cabinet with her arms wrapped around her knees, Helena found Harley fast asleep. There was an empty bottle of whiskey laying next to her head.

“Found her.”

“Ayy.” Cass started clapping. “Everyone survived!”

The good news was, with Harley found, it lowered the chances that she had gotten herself into trouble while the others had been asleep. 

_ Now I just have to get her out of there. _

* * *

“Dinah? You awake?”

The voice was quiet, little more than a whisper, and Dinah rolled over to the other side of the bed, yanking the covers over her head as she tried to ignore it. 

“Dinah?”

_ Helena. _

Dinah groaned, but a weight settled onto the edge of the bed next to her. Reluctantly, she pulled the blanket away from her face and saw Helena sitting next to her, face pale with dark circles around her eyes.  _ I’m sure I don’t look much better _ . 

Helena smiled at her, all the same. “Hi.”

“Hey....” Dinah yawned and tried to sit up. “What time is it?”

“Uh, almost twelve-thirty?”

“What?”

Helena nodded. “We were getting worried about you.”

“ _ We _ ?” 

“Yeah Renee is still here-- Harley is even awake...barely.” Helena paused, scooting over as Dinah sat up fully and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I came to see if we could borrow your car.”

“Yeah,” Dinah waved her off before she leaned her head on Helena’s shoulder. She needed a minute to wake up. “ ‘Course.”

“Do you know where your keys are?”

“I think they’re in my pants.” That was the most likely place. Which, if Dinah went with them, she would need her pants anyway. “I’ll go check.” Yawning again, she lifted her off Helena’s shoulder. “Where are you guys going?”

Helena pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek, clearly trying not to laugh. “Uh, Renee mentioned there’s an Italian restaurant about ten minutes away. She said it wasn’t very good, but I called them--.” She finally cracked, chuckling to herself. “I am really hungover, and I just  _ really  _ want some chicken parm.”

There was no way Dinah could say no. Helena rarely asked for anything as it was. 

“Okay,” Dinah laughed. “I’ll take you to get some crappy Italian food. Let me go get my pants.”

Helena took her face in both hands, pulling Dinah closer and planting a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you!” She said as Dinah laughed. “Best girlfriend ever.”

“Oh you  _ did _ remember.” Dinah was impressed.

“I told you I would.”

Dinah didn’t try to hide the way she smiled, standing and giving Helena’s arm a tug. “Come on.”

When she stepped out of the room, Dinah was met by the sound of Renee’s applause. She was sitting in the kitchen with Cass, who was standing by the sink, trying to feed Harley a piece of pizza.

“Congrats,” Renee teased. “You survived.” She laughed as Dinah rolled her eyes. “Nice shirt, Lance.”

“Thanks,” She didn’t want to give Renee more reason to tease her, but she couldn’t help herself. “It’s  _ new _ . Since Harley decided to puke on me.”

The thumbs up she got from Harley, seated on the counter, was probably the closest thing to an apology she’d receive.  _ Hopefully my shirt isn’t ruined _ . Right now, she had a mission, so Dinah ducked into the bathroom before Renee could say anything else.

The next twenty minutes was an agonizing mess. Renee, had been the smartest, Dinah decided. She had opted on simply going home, while Dinah took the roof off her car and spent five minutes trying to load Harley, Cass and Helena inside. Cass hadn’t wanted to miss the show, and was gleefully sitting in the front seat by Dinah. Helena and Harley had folded themselves into the back seat, before Helena had stubbornly crossed her arms and clenched her eyes shut. The sun  _ was _ bright, but she had stayed like this until Dinah fished a pair of sunglasses out of the glovebox. Harley was a lot more vocal about her discomfort, and between the two of them the ride to the restaurant made Dinah feel like a babysitter.

She followed Helena’s directions to the letter, eventually parking outside of a seedy looking Italian restaurant. If the food was as bad as Renee said, it likely meant that the restaurant as a whole was a front for one of the smaller crime families. 

Being the most dressed adult in the vehicle, with a shirt  _ and  _ pants, Dinah took it upon herself to go inside and pay for the food. 

She tried to keep the interaction to a minimum, which was easy since the food was already bagged and waiting at the register when she walked inside. Helena had handed her a folded twenty dollar bill, and Dinah simply handed it over and told them to keep the change. 

Helena’s expression when Dinah walked outside carrying the food was worth the trip alone. She held her hands out when Dinah walked up to the side of the car, and she was almost reverent in the way she took the bag from Dinah.

“Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” Dinah told her, walking around the end of the car to get back inside. “They gave you breadsticks.”

Helena was already reaching into the bag. Frowning, she picked up the container of breadsticks and unceremoniously dropped it into Harley’s lap.

“Ew.” Was all Helena had to say.

Dinah turned in the seat to look at her. “Really? Ew?”

“Don’t want those.”

“Breadstick?” Harley asked, waving a breadstick between Dinah and Cass.

Cass took it when offered, and when Harley offered another to Dinah, Dinah shook her head.

Helena rolled the bag down, popping open the next container. She reached in immediately and retrieved one of the breaded pieces of chicken. Dinah was surprised to see her start eating it like a piece of pizza. 

“Really?” Dinah snorted. “There was a fork in the bag.”

Helena started shaking her head. “Don’t need it.”

“Are you not going to eat the noodles?” 

Another headshake. “Chicken.” She looked down, picking up the other piece of chicken to prove her point before she handed the plate of pasta to Harley. “You want this?”

“Hell yeah!” Harley replied enthusiastically, digging around for the fork. “‘Course I do.”

Cass started laughing so hard she dropped half of her breadstick into the floor of the car. Dinah stared between the three of them and shook her head. “You guys are a fucking mess.”

She turned the car on before digging for some napkins in the door. She had a feeling they were going to need them.

“I’m gonna drop you two off, then me and H are going home, you got that?”

“Mmhmm.” Harley nodded, slurping up a mouth full of noodles. 

Helena offered no argument either. Dinah really just wanted to go home and take a shower, more than anything. 


	10. Old Friends

Harley and Cass had been out of the apartment almost a week now. Dinah still found herself adjusting to the quiet brought on by their absence. Helena had spent the first two days cleaning the apartment top to bottom, and when Helena had finished Dinah couldn’t even tell that Cass and Harley had been there in the first place. 

The only thing left untouched had been the corner of the bathroom mirror, where Harley’s purple heart and yellow canary drawing had remained. Dinah thought it was kind of cute that Helena had left that, of all things. 

Helena had stubbornly resumed sleeping on the couch. Every night after Harley had left, Dinah had left her bedroom door standing open in invitation. Dinah understood that Helena was trying to respect her space, but she was hoping that Helena would take the hint on her own.

They had been pulling late nights with Renee as they chased down each of the leads that Oliver had sent them. Each one either ended up as a dead end, or led them away from the Penguin entirely. Dinah was beginning to get impatient, but Renee was worse. Every day had turned into Renee having another hour long phone call with Oliver, trying to sort through the mess and find something tangible.

They’d spent the night before running all over Gotham on another fruitless search. This time in particular, they hadn’t gotten home until almost three. 

This led to a lazy morning for Dinah. She had showered, eaten breakfast, then had taken over the couch. The television was on, but she wasn’t watching it. Helena had been in and out of the apartment for most of the morning running errands. She hadn’t wandered too far, though. They were both expecting Renee to call them with something else to do.

Waiting hadn’t been all bad. Dinah had, after all, gotten to see Helena do push-ups in the living room. Dinah spent far too much time staring at the muscle of Helena’s back. She told herself there was no harm in  _ watching _ . Dinah wanted to do more, but she was trying to be good.

When Helena had stopped, opting instead to go take a shower, Dinah had spent the better part of five minutes pouting. Not that she would let Helena know that, of course.

Helena was still in the shower when Dinah’s cell phone vibrated. Expecting Renee, she was surprised when she turned the phone over and saw that Oliver had texted her. 

“ _ Can I come over?” _

Dinah’s eyebrow shot up, and she read the text three more times before it sunk in.  _ Ollie is in town already? When did that happen? _

Renee would be pleased, but Dinah had expected Oliver to get in touch with Renee first. Some warning would have been nice.

Sitting up, Dinah listened for Helena. With the shower still running, Dinah stood up and walked to the bathroom door. Testing the doorknob, she found that Helena had not locked it. Dinah cracked it open a few inches and leaned in.

“Helena?” Dinah asked loudly.  _ I’ll be surprised if she answers me. _

“...Yes?”

“Is it alright if Ollie comes over?” It was only polite to ask, and Dinah refused to give him an answer before she knew what Helena wanted. 

“Ollie?” Helena echoed. 

“Only if it’s okay with you,” Dinah clarified. 

“It’s fine.”

She started to ask if Helena was sure, but decided against it. “I’ll tell him. Thank you.”  _ I’ll find out soon enough. _

Dinah pulled the bathroom door closed, typing out a quick ‘ _ sure _ ’ for Oliver before sending him their address. Having him in their apartment would still be a welcome alternative to him asking her to dinner. 

Dinah began pacing around the living room, phone in hand.  _ Why am I nervous _ ? It didn’t make sense. She’d known Oliver for years, this was nothing new.

Dinah was so distracted that she didn’t notice the shower had cut off. Helena’s footsteps were so quiet that Dinah never heard her walk into the living room. Dinah almost jumped out of her skin when she walked into her.

“Oh  _ shit _ .” She gasped. Helena’s hands were on her shoulders within an instant, keeping her steady. “Sorry.”

“Are you okay?”

“ _ Fine _ .” Dinah insisted. It was the truth, for the most part. She couldn’t explain the nerves, but she  _ could  _ ignore them.

She could tell by the look in Helena’s eyes that she didn’t believe her. But Helena let it go, motioning for Dinah to sit down.

Dinah didn’t know why she sat on the couch, almost immediately. She started bouncing one leg, checking her phone again. Helena sat down beside her, but kept her eyes on the television. Helena hardly ever actually  _ watched  _ the television, and Dinah saw right through her. She was waiting on Dinah to say something.

Other than checking her phone every minute or so, Dinah had nothing to say. All she could do was  _ wait _ .

She had been expecting a text, or at least a call as warning. Instead, there was a knock at the door. Dinah started to stand and go to the door, but the firm hand placed over her knee stopped her in her tracks. Confused, Dinah was surprised to see Helena pushing herself to her feet. A second knock came and she heard Helena murmur ‘I got it’.

Dinah sighed and leaned her head against the back of the couch.  _ This might have been a bad idea _ .

When Helena opened the door, she could see Oliver’s head just over Helena’s shoulder. He seemed surprised to see Helena.

“Oh,” He cleared his throat, giving her a once-over. “Hello.” Oliver recovered quickly. “Oliver Queen, at your service.”

He extended his hand toward Helena, clearly expecting her to shake it. Dinah grimaced.  _ Please, Helena _ . 

“Helena.” She finally nodded, taking his hand. “Bertinelli.”

A beat of silence passed after she shook his hand and released it. Helena looked him up and down, and it took a second for Dinah to recognize the caution in Oliver’s eyes. They were sizing each other up. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth and started laughing.  _ They look ridiculous.  _

At the sound of Dinah’s laughter, Helena turned her head. When she took a step back, Dinah caught Oliver’s gaze from over Helena’s shoulder. 

When he recognized her, his face lit up. “ _ There  _ you are, pretty bird!” 

With a hand on Helena’s shoulder he stepped around her and into the apartment. Dinah stood up to meet him, and as he walked toward her he smoothed down the front of his jacket. When she was within reach, Oliver held his arms open. 

Dinah leaned into his side, hugging him with one arm only. “Hi, Ollie.” He wrapped both his arms tightly around her, laughing as he kissed her cheek. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.” Oliver gave her another tight squeeze. After a moment he held her back at arms length so he could get a better look at her. “You look great, Dinah.”

“Thanks.” 

Dinah smiled at him, but her eyes found Helena. She had shut the door and stepped around them. Then she folded herself into the corner of the couch, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Still, Helena was watching her. At first, Dinah could feel it. But when Oliver’s hand dropped to the small of her back and turned them around, she saw Helena tracking the movement with her eyes.

“This is a nice place,” Oliver told her, keeping his arm on her back as he looked around. “Good neighborhood.”

Dinah hummed.  _ Not like I had any say in that.  _ Helena had picked the apartment on her own,  _ because  _ it was a quiet neighborhood. “Tell Helena, it’s her apartment.” 

Oliver ignored her, his eyes drawn to the kitchen counter. Before she could realize what he was looking at, he’d reached out and picked up whatever had caught his attention. 

“Didn’t know you were into hot wheels, pretty bird.” 

In her periphery of her vision Dinah saw Helena’s head snap up to watch him. In Oliver’s hand, he held Helena’s purple car.  _ Helena must have left it out here for when she showered.  _ Before Oliver could say anything else, Dinah reached out and snatched it away from him.

“Give me that.” 

“Touchy.”

Ignoring him, Dinah tucked the car into her pocket before she shrugged his arm off and headed toward the living room. Helena’s eyes darted from Oliver to Dinah as the latter sat down on the couch. She scooted as close to Helena as she could manage, leaning against her side. A quiet huff came from Helena as she unfolded her arms and made room for Dinah to sit beside her. 

Oliver walked around for a few more minutes, looking at everything. Dinah could tell Helena was practically bristling next to her. Helena had cut the television off, and was using the reflection on the black screen to help her track Oliver’s movement.

Dinah sighed, putting her hand on Helena’s thigh.  _ Hopefully Ollie doesn’t touch anything else.  _ “You know you can come sit down.” She glanced over her shoulder and saw him poking around in the kitchen. “Oliver.”

He lifted his head and saw her watching him. “Ouch,  _ Oliver _ ?” Dinah shot him a glare, motioning toward the empty armchair. He stared at her for a moment but eventually relented. When he sunk into the armchair he turned his attention back to Helena. “You said Bertinelli, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Any relation to--.” 

Dinah cut him off. “Yes. She works with me and Renee. This is Huntress.”

“Oh.” Oliver nodded as he finally understood. “Renee mentioned on the phone. Then we’ll all be working together, won’t we?”

“Mmhmm.” Dinah nodded. “How’s the Justice League?”

She asked without expecting a response. He had been cagey about his involvement with the Justice League in the past. Dinah was used to him withholding information as it suited him, but right now she didn’t particularly care. If it got him talking and drew his attention away from Helena, Dinah would consider it a success.

“Good,” Oliver said slowly. “Why do you want to know?”

“Why not?” Dinah shrugged. “Don’t you trust me?”

He narrowed his eyes.  _ No _ . “I’ve heard you’re friends with Harley Quinn.”

“That’s a stretch.” Dinah laughed.

“Is it?” Oliver watched her intently. “She doesn’t have many friends these days.”

Helena shifted beside her and finally spoke. “--and who is it you hear all this from?”

“Around.” He kept his answer vague, as always. “I still have plenty of contacts in Gotham. Including the Birds of Prey, now.”

Helena recrossed her arms, setting her jaw.  _ She didn’t like that answer _ . Oliver’s phone went off, and the tunnel vision began. As soon as he pulled his phone out of his pocket it had his undivided attention. Dinah sighed. She squeezed Helena’s leg and watched Oliver type away on his phone. 

_ He’s gonna take off _ .

As soon as the thought crossed Dinah’s mind, Oliver stood up.  _ Right on time. _

“Hate to cut this short, ladies.” Oliver muttered. “Business meeting.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Queen Industries still can’t survive without you for ten minutes?”

“Nope.” He mustered up his sweetest smile as he put his phone away. “Do you want to grab dinner later, pretty bird?”

She had already had this conversation with him, weeks ago. The answer was  _ no _ . But she decided to humor him. “Sure. As long as you’re cool with my girlfriend coming along.”

Oliver stopped midstep, eyes full of confusion. His eyes lowered from Dinah’s face to where she still had her hand on Helena’s leg.

“Oh. Maybe not then.” He shrugged. “I’ll see you two and Montoya later, alright?”

“We’ll be there, Ollie.” 

With a nod and a little salute, Oliver was out the door. When the door latched shut behind him, Dinah sighed.

“He’s...fun.” Helena said. Her flat tone said otherwise.

“You get used to it.” Dinah suddenly remembered the toy car she had in her pocket. “Here.” She grabbed it and held it out to Helena. “I didn’t think you’d like Ollie messing with it.”

Helena’s features softened as she looked at Dinah’s hand. With one hand Helena gently took the car from Dinah, and with the other she took hold of Dinah’s hand, pulling it up toward her lips. She pressed two kisses against Dinah’s palm before she turned Dinah’s hand over and left another kiss against her knuckles.

“Thank you.” Helena murmured. 

“I know you weren’t really comfortable with him poking around,” Dinah added. “You could have said no, you know?”

Helena shrugged. “Could have.”

“Either way,” She leaned over and kissed Helena’s cheek. “Tonight will be better. Renee will curb his enthusiasm.”

* * *

_ Am I jealous? _

Helena huffed and took another swing at the heavy bag. She had come to the base to think, and barring herself from the salmon ladder had left her with few options that didn’t waste ammunition. 

The base was quiet except for the sound of the gloves making contact with the bag. Helena found comfort in the silence. It was easy to clear her head when she was alone.

She was still trying to decide if Oliver had been flirting with Dinah or not. Or, if it even mattered.

_ No, we’re fine _ . 

He just didn’t have to keep trying to  _ touch  _ her. Helena couldn’t tell if it bothered Dinah or not, but Helena had noticed every single time Oliver had touched her. 

_ Pretty bird. That’s what he called her.  _ Helena didn’t know  _ why,  _ she just knew that she hated it.

There was just something about Oliver that didn’t sit right with her. But she had only just met him, she didn’t want to pass her judgement too soon. Helena hoped things would be different once he was in the base and they were actually working. Having him in her apartment, touching her things, and not actually minding that she was there at all had been unsettling.  _ Unless Dinah asks, I’m not inviting him back. _

Helena didn’t think Dinah  _ would _ , at least not without her permission. Therein lay the problem. If Dinah asked, regardless of how Helena felt about it, she’d agree. Though Helena  _ would _ say no to dinner, if Oliver asked again. 

Helena was starting to get tired, each consecutive punch coming slower than the last.  _ It’s probably almost time for Oliver to get here _ . She had expected Renee to be here already, at least. 

She had little hope that tonight would be productive.  _ All his leads have been duds anyway _ . Whatever business he had with the Penguin had led them nowhere. They’d wasted enough time on this already, hadn’t they? Renee seemed hopeful, maybe more so than Dinah, and Helena could only trust their judgment. 

Helena’s phone rang, stopping her mid-swing.  _ It’s too late for Sal to call _ . She frowned and began tugging her gloves off. When Helena finally reached her phone, she realized it was Dinah calling. It brought a smile to her face almost immediately.

“Hi, Dinah.” Helena answered, tucking the phone between her cheek and shoulder. “What’s up?”

“Just checking on you,” The soft tone of Dinah’s voice was relaxing. “Are you still at the base?”

_ I told her where I was going, didn’t I?  _ “Yes.”

“Is Renee there yet?”

Helena caught herself shaking her head.  _ She can’t see you _ . “No, not yet.” She put her gloves away and began unwrapping her hands. “Are you on your way?”

“I will be soon.” Dinah promised.

“You could have come with me, you know.” Helena  _ had  _ offered before she left the apartment. She wanted Dinah to know where she was, at least. Dinah’s ‘no’ had been a little surprising. 

“I figured you wanted some alone time. That’s usually why you disappear, right?”

“I didn’t disappear.” Helena argued “I told you where I was going--.”

“So you’re  _ not  _ hiding in the base because you wanted to be alone after Ollie left?” Dinah asked. “Are you staying off the salmon ladder?”

Helena glanced over at the punching bag and huffed. “Yes.”

“Bertinelli? Are you in here?” Renee’s voice coming from the hallway shocked her. Helena hadn’t heard her come in.

“Renee is here,” Helena told Dinah. “I’m gonna go.”

Dinah laughed. “Shit. Now I’m  _ late _ . Do you want me to grab you some food?”

“No, thank you.”

“Alright, I’ll see you soon.”

Helena smiled, softly telling Dinah ‘be careful’ before she hung up the phone. As soon as she lowered the phone from her ear, Renee walked in.

“There you are,” Renee said, “I saw your motorcycle --.” She stopped in favor of looking Helena up and down. “What’re you smiling for?” Helena looked down at her phone in her hand and heard Renee laugh. “What? Did Dinah call?” Helena nodded. “Shit. You got it bad, kid.”

_ I know. _

* * *

_ “Did ya know Queenie was in town?” _

Dinah read the text from Harley and stifled a laugh.  _ I’m sitting across from him _ ,  _ of course I know _ . She typed back ‘yes, why?’ and tried to refocus on the conversation. 

Renee was pointing at the map, where she had labelled all of the prior leads. “Every single one of these was a dud, Ollie.”

Oliver sighed and leaned against the table. “It doesn’t make sense. The Penguin  _ has  _ to be up to something.”

“It could be a trick.” Helena offered.

“Not likely.” Oliver said dismissively. “He’s kept the Iceberg Lounge closed for a couple years now. He wouldn’t reopen on a whim.

“So he’s  _ distracting  _ us, and we’re wasting time.”

Dinah’s phone rang, cutting off Oliver’s response. When she saw Harley’s name flash on the screen she sighed. 

“Harley.” Dinah told the room at large before she answered. “What?”

“Don’t be mad,” Harley started.  _ Already there _ . “I saw Queenie downtown earlier - figured he’d be a big target for the kid to practice on -  _ don’t be mad _ \- but we’ve been followin’ him all day and he came into this warehouse--.”

Dinah pinched the bridge of her nose. “For fuck’s sake, Harley. Just come inside.”

“...What?”

She looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. “We’re all in here. We were talking. Come in.” She hung up without another word, glaring at Oliver. “Thanks, Ollie.”

He arched his brow, confused. “What?”

“We have company.”

He had no time to question it. Harley had thrown the door open and let herself inside, Cass on her heels. Dinah motioned at them for emphasis. 

Harley looked around, letting out a low-whistle before she realized they were all watching her. “Nice place.”

“What is  _ she  _ doing here?” Oliver asked angrily.

“You’re the one who led her here.” Dinah replied, matching his volume.

Renee growled. “Enough.”

“Anyway,” Harley sauntered over, waving at Helena as she passed her. “What’re you guys doin’?”

Oliver glared. “Nothing.”

Dinah saw Helena look at him for a moment before she deliberately turned toward Harley. “We’re talking about the Penguin. Oliver thinks he’s up to something.”

“Don’t fucking tell her.” Oliver hissed. “You really think you can trust her?”

Harley was watching the pair in amusement. Helena bit her lip, but Dinah knew the next word out of her mouth would have been ‘yes’. 

The argument died with Helena’s silence. Harley seemed disappointed by this, so she backtracked. “The Penguin?” She wrinkled her nose. “Fuck that guy.”

Oliver closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Can we please get back to work?”

“Sure.” Harley gave him a sickly sweet smile. “What’s going on?”

“A lot of dead ends.” Renee explained before Oliver could argue. “Oliver had sent them to us--.”

Harley’s snort cut her off. “The guy didn’t notice when we stole his wallet two hours ago--what makes you think he can find a lead?”

Dinah raised her eyebrows and looked at Cass, who was grinning proudly at her. Oliver began patting himself down nervously, but Dinah already knew his wallet was long gone. 

Harley giggled. “We were goin’ for that fancy watch next.”

“What the fuck--.” He muttered.

Dinah went over to Cass and held her hand out, waiting. “Give it back.” When Cass looked up in feigned innocence, Dinah gave her a warning glare. “Now, Cass.”

Cass turned it into a big production, complete with huffs and eye rolls, but she eventually dug Oliver’s wallet out and put it in Dinah’s waiting palm.

“And the money.” Dinah added.

It earned her another eye roll, but the money was eventually returned. “We don’t steal from friends, remember?”

“He’s not  _ my  _ friend.” She heard Harley mutter under her breath. 

Dinah ignored the comment, returning Oliver’s wallet to him. “Can we focus now?” He asked. “Please?”

Cass had gone to stand next to Helena. Dinah barely caught it, but Helena had a smirk on her face as she slipped Cass a handful of folded bills from her wallet. 

“Since you’re here now,” Renee was looking at Harley. “The Penguin is reopening the lounge.”

A frown flashed across Harley’s face in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it way. “He’s hiding something.”

Oliver’s mouth fell open in stunned silence.

“Oh,” Dinah “So you agree with Oliver?”

Harley shrugged. “Every baddie in Gotham is gonna be there when it opens. If the city’s attention is on the lounge, he can get away with whatever he wants.”

Renee slumped down into her chair and sighed. “That’s the problem. We don’t know what he’s doing--.”

“Then you need someone inside.” Harley finished. “Easy. When’s it open?”

“Two days.” 

Helena had moved into the hallway with Cass. Dinah tried to keep tabs on them, but it was hard to keep up with them while she tried to listen to Oliver and Harley. She saw Cass take a swipe at Helena’s side, only for Helena to swat her hand away. A moment later, Cass waved a shuriken triumphantly over her head. Helena was smiling when she snatched it away from Cass, hiding it behind her back and sliding it into her pocket. Then the game began again.

_ They’re playing. _

Helena wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, but that didn’t matter.  _ I can fill her in later. It’s not like Ollie was listening to her anyway. _

“-it’s not a bad idea.” Renee’s voice pulled Dinah’s eyes away from Helena and Cass and brought her back into the moment. “One of us can go undercover for a couple weeks, the Penguin will probably be spending plenty of time there. We get someone inside, as we can figure out what he’s up to.”

“But who?” Dinah asked. “It can’t be Ollie, every bad guy in Gotham probably knows he’s back in town by now. Can’t be you, Montoya, even if you’re not on the force anymore.” She stopped, motioning at Harley. “This one won’t even be able to get in the building, thanks to the Joker.”

“What about you?” Oliver suggested.

Dinah was willing, if she needed to. She was a better choice than they were, at least.

“She can’t either.” Renee sighed. “All of Sionis’ old friends know she turned on him by now.”

“So what do you want to do?”

Renee shrugged, exchanging a glance with Oliver. “We still have one option…”

The room got silent, then. Dinah knew who they meant. All four of them turned and looked at Helena, who was holding Cass back with one arm, trying to keep her from the shuriken.

It didn’t take Helena long to notice the silence. Her guard dropped, and she surrendered the shuriken to Cass before she turned and found everyone staring at her.

“...What?”

“Could work.” Oliver muttered.

“No.” The word snapped out of her mouth faster than Dinah had meant it to. Dinah knew that in a fight, Helena could handle herself. But this wasn’t a fight. Even if Helena  _ wasn’t  _ recognizable, leaving her alone in the Penguin’s club - and expecting her to socialize - could only end badly.

“ _ What _ ?” Helena repeated. She left Cass to move a little closer. “What’s going on?”

Oliver scowled. “Have you not been paying attention?”

“Did she not steal your wallet?” Helena fired back, gesturing toward Cass. 

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I keep her over here, you keep your jewelry.”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “I’ll take my chances.”

“Suit yourself.” Helena growled. She looked at Renee, then Dinah in turn. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Oliver opened his mouth to respond, but a glare from Dinah stopped him. “They want you to go undercover, in the Iceberg Lounge.”

Helena’s eyes moved to the side as she listened, nodding. “Okay, and?”

“Once you scope the place out, you can work on finding us some intel.” Renee finished. “Maybe there’s someone willing to talk.”

“That’s  _ not _ a good idea.” Dinah countered. Renee knew just as well as she did that  _ talking  _ wasn’t Helena’s strong suit.

“She’s the best option.” Renee’s voice had lowered to try and talk Dinah down. “We can put a wire on her. It’ll be fine.”

“I’ll do it.” Helena answered before Dinah could argue. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

* * *

Helena stared at the muted television and sighed. She was lying on the couch, hands folded together over her stomach. She wasn’t tired yet, but was hoping that  _ trying  _ to watch the television would make her sleepy.

Dinah was still up, she thought. It had been a few minutes since Helena had heard any movement from the bedroom, so there was a chance that she was wrong. The bedroom door was still open, nonetheless. At first Helena hadn’t given the open door much thought. But once Dinah started leaving it open every night, she had to wonder if there was a reason why. 

It  _ could  _ have been an invitation, but Helena didn’t want to read too far into that in case she was wrong.  _ It’s better to wait. She’ll tell me. _ They had been communicating better lately anyway. Even if it was just with a look, or a touch, they had reached a new level of understanding with each other. Helena was still trying to teach herself to talk more, but it was getting better every day. The words had started coming a little easier.

Helena’s eyes had drifted closed by the time she heard Dinah’s footsteps. They were such a familiar sound now that Helena didn’t even bother looking up to find her. When they stopped at the end of the couch, Helena opened one eye and saw Dinah looking down at her.

“Oh, you  _ are  _ awake.” Dinah said quietly. “I was going to cut the TV off.”

Helena shrugged. “You can if you want.”

Dinah shook her head. When Helena finally got a good look at Dinah she laughed.

“Are you wearing my shirt?”

“Of course I am.” Dinah countered, as if it was the dumbest question Helena could have asked. “It's comfy.” 

Helena hummed her agreement. Dinah watched her for a few seconds, leaving Helena to continue smiling up at her like an idiot. Then Dinah took two steps around the couch to stand next to her. Dinah leaned down and took hold of Helena’s wrists, moving her arms out of the way. Before Helena could question her, Dinah had climbed onto the couch with her. It took her a few moments to get settled, especially with how cramped it was, but Dinah eventually grew still. She had draped her arm around Helena’s waist, resting her head against Helena’s chest. 

Helena let out the breath she had been holding, slowly lowering her arms to wrap them both around Dinah. 

“You okay?” Helena asked.

“Mmhmm.” Dinah squeezed her a little and yawned. “Just didn’t want to be alone.”

She nodded to herself and pressed a kiss into Dinah’s hair. It had been a long time since she had felt that, but she understood. “You could have said something.”

“I’m saying something  _ now. _ ” 

Helena turned her head toward the television and sighed. She brought her left hand up and began rubbing Dinah’s back. She didn’t know if it was for Dinah’s comfort or her own. The screen flashed between scenes, but it had been a long time since Helena understood what was going on. She was no longer afraid of Dinah’s silence. Dinah wasn’t  _ mad _ , and there was nothing wrong. For now it was just enough to hold her.

“Are you nervous about going to the lounge?” Dinah asked.

Helena would have shrugged, if she were able. “Not really.” It wasn’t a big deal, especially if her only objective was to scope the place out.

Dinah reached up to take the blanket off the back of the couch and drape it over the pair of them. “You know you’ll have to go more than once, right?” It was clear Dinah had spent a lot of time thinking about this.  _ Is she worried? _

“I know.”

“It’s just - sometimes Ollie makes plans but doesn’t actually think them through.” Dinah tucked the blanket under her chin and sighed. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it.”

“I am.” Helena assured her. “Promise.”

“What do you think of Ollie so far?”

It was an innocent question. Helena knew her opinion of Oliver wouldn’t change what Dinah thought of him - she’d known him far too long for that. The only problem was, Helena didn’t know what the answer was. _ I have to get used to him. _

“I don’t know.” She admitted. “Seems okay.” There was  _ one  _ question Helena did want the answer to, however. “Dinah, do...do you like it when he calls you pretty bird?”

Dinah lifted herself up on her elbow so she could look at Helena. “I used to. But then I started working for Roman.” 

Helena didn’t know what Dinah went through spending all those years working under Roman, but she did understand what Dinah was referring to. She could still see Roman pulling Dinah close, folding his arms around her despite how stiffly she stood, softly crooning ‘little bird’ into her ear. Helena had hated him before, but seeing that she had wanted nothing more in that moment than to drown him in his own blood. Dinah had been afraid of him, despite how well she had tried to hide it.  _ How many times had he done that before? _

“I know it was just a play on the Black Canary thing.” Dinah continued on her own. “But once Roman made it weird...well. To him and Zsasz, I was just a bird in a cage. The nickname was ruined, then.” She shrugged. “I’ve known Ollie too long to stop him now.”

‘Pretty bird’ was cute, sure. But it didn’t fit  _ Dinah _ . “You’re not just a pretty bird, Dinah, and you’re not small - or weak. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”

Dinah chuckled quietly, leaving a kiss on Helena’s cheek. “Thanks, H.” She laid back down after a thought, tucking her head under Helena’s chin. “Now here’s the  _ real  _ question. Why do you let Harley call you lovebird?”

The answer was simple, and honest. “Because the alternative is ‘Killa’.” Helena hated when Harley called her that. On some level, Helena understood that Harley would call her whatever she wanted.  _ Doesn’t mean I have to like it. _

“And you’re more than that.” Dinah whispered.

“Mmhmm.”

“But she picked lovebird?”

“Cute little parrots.” Helena laughed, remembering how Harley had described them. “Yeah. I didn’t ask after that. It was better.”

“It’s cute.” Dinah decided. 

“Don’t tell her that.”

“Deal.”

Helena grinned. “I should tell you now, I found a really nice gold watch in my pocket when I got home.”

“God damn it, Cass…” Dinah groaned. “You’ve got to give it back to Oliver tomorrow.”

Helena had no such plans. “I wasn’t the one who took it.” 

Watching Cass take it successfully had been a treat. Oliver was distracted, talking to Renee when Cass had sidled up to them and started asking questions. Within seconds, the watch had been unclasped and slid into her pocket. Harley made a quick exit, telling everyone goodbye and darting toward the door. Cass had romped over to Helena and hugged her before chasing after Harley, but Helena had felt the weight of the watch in her own pocket then. It had been five minutes or more after they left that Oliver even noticed his watch was missing. Helena had feigned innocence, and Harley and Cass were long gone.

“You encouraged it.” Dinah yawned, pressing herself closer to Helena as she did so. 

“Maybe.”

She could tell she wasn’t going to win this one. “Have Cass give it back, H.”

Helena sighed in defeat and kissed the top of Dinah’s head. “Fine. In a couple days.”

Helena freed her right arm, stretching it over to the coffee table. She fumbled around until she found the remote, and used it to cut the television off. When Dinah yawned again, Helena nudged her. 

“Do you want to go to bed?”

Dinah let out a huff. “Harley and Cass have been gone almost a week.” Dinah explained. “I have left that damn door open every  _ day  _ thinking you’d get the hint and come sleep with me.”  _ So it was an invitation after all _ . “If your stubborn ass wants to sleep on the couch, that’s where we’re sleeping.”

“Okay.” Helena fought off a yawn of her own. “Just for tonight.”


	11. Dancing with the Enemy

“Can you see the wire?”

Dinah asked the question, looking over Helena’s shoulder at Harley. Helena was patiently letting them dress her, but Dinah wasn’t taking any chances. 

“Nope.” Harley shook her head. “We’re good.”

Harley had been working on Helena’s hair, which was now slicked back and parted to one side. Harley hid the wireless earpiece with Helena’s hair, after spending ten minutes arguing over which side her hair should part on. 

While Harley did this Dinah fussed with Helena’s shirt, making sure the front was smooth and buttoned evenly. When finished, Harley tilted Helena’s head to the side and checked the earpiece once more.

“Poifect, lovebird.” Harley grinned. “No one will know. See ya.” She finished with a pat to Helena’s cheek, winking at Dinah before she skipped out of the room. 

As soon as Harley disappeared, Dinah sighed. Helena was watching her quietly, her eyes brightened by the smoky brown eyeshadow Dinah had brushed on for her.

With fumbling fingers, she managed to fasten the last button on the shirt, under Helena’s chin.“If you need us, we can get there in ten minutes.”

“I know.”

Dinah didn’t look at her, instead choosing to fix her collar.

“Renee and Oliver will be right by the radio the whole night.”

“I know.” Helena’s voice had remained soft and calm, calmer than Dinah felt. But she wasn’t talking.

“Here,” She reached behind her to grab the leather shoulder-holster and handed it to Helena. “Put this on.”

Helena followed her instruction as Dinah checked her gun. It was loaded, she knew because she had loaded it herself. Still, she checked it a second time. Once satisfied, she checked the safety once more and handed it to Helena. Helena put the gun in the holster, then spent a few moments adjusting everything.

“Where’s your jacket?” When she asked, Helena motioned toward the chair behind her. The brown pinstripe suit had been Helena’s idea. The color suited her, but she had picked the stripes to help obscure the holster. The illusion was just another form of protection. 

Dinah picked the jacket up off the chair, dusting it off with the palm of her hand. Helena allowed Dinah to help her put it on, just as she had with the shirt. 

“We don’t know who’s going to be there, but avoid the Penguin if you can.” She brushed off Helena’s shoulders and sighed. “He should stay up on the second floor with all those party girls.” 

“Okay.”

“You might not have to talk to anyone.” She brought her hands down the lapel of Helena’s jacket and began fussing with it. “Renee or Oliver will tell you what to say.”

“Mmhmm.”

“It should only take a couple--.” Long, slender fingers curled around Dinah’s wrists and gently pulled her hands away from Helena’s shoulders. She stopped talking and looked up to meet Helena’s gaze.

Helena took a deep breath, leaning forward and pressing their foreheads together. Dinah felt herself begin to relax. She closed her eyes, letting Helena lower her hands between them. 

“You’ll be listening, too.” Helena kept her voice low, only meant to soothe Dinah’s nerves. “If I need something, you’ll know.”

_ I know _ .

“Okay.”

“I’ve got to go.” Helena pulled away, kissing Dinah’s forehead once before she released her hands. 

Dinah opened her eyes and nodded. “I know. Let me see.”

Helena stepped back, slowly turning around so that Dinah could get a good look at her. She looked  _ great _ . The suit fit her perfectly. Better than that, when she turned, Dinah could see no sign of the holster, or the wire running up her back. 

_ Perfect _ .

She gave Helena a nod. “Looks good.” 

Her nerves felt somewhat better, now. Helena’s confidence, real or not, helped more than anything. When Helena smiled at her, Dinah returned it. 

_ I’m worried over nothing, _ she told herself _.  _ But they were a  _ team. _

When Helena walked out, Dinah sighed. It was going to be a long night. She waited until she heard the revving of Helena’s motorcycle, listening as it faded away, before she rejoined Renee and the others. 

* * *

_ “Tell us how bad the line is.”  _ Renee’s voice startled her. 

“When I get there.” Helena grumbled. 

Oliver and Renee had been coaching her the entire ride over. She was starting to get tired of hearing their voices.  _ Dinah and Harley would be better than this. _

Not that  _ Renee  _ was the problem. Oliver was tracking her motorcycle, and kept telling her when she took a wrong turn. When Helena had gotten snippy with him, his response had been ‘you don’t know Gotham like I do’.

Dinah’s voice came through the speaker.  _ “She probably wishes you two would shut up for five minutes.” _

_ “I know I do.”  _ Harley chimed in.

Helena was glad they couldn’t see her smirking as she took the next turn.  _ At least someone gets it. _

_ “You don’t need an invitation, after all.”  _ Renee added, ignoring both of them. 

“Little late to check on that, don’t you think?” 

_ “Just sayin’.” _

Helena was frustrated. She understood that Renee, of all people, wanted to be thorough. But some things should have been taken care of beforehand.

The closer she got to the address, the more nervous she became. What happened if the  _ distraction  _ of the literal voices in her head got her into trouble? _ Giving them a microphone was a bad idea _ . That had been the only issue she’d found with their plan. 

_ Maybe I can just ignore them _ .

She’d been getting plenty of practice from spending the afternoon around Oliver anyway. Then there was the fact that Dinah was worried, in her own way.  _ I don’t want to make that worse. _ She didn’t know what she was walking into, but she was determined to be careful.

Spotlights illuminated half of the city block where the Iceberg Lounge resided. The bright lights would have been damn near blinding, had it not been for her helmet’s visor.

“I’m here.”

_ “About time.”  _ Oliver grumbled.

_ Shut up. _

She almost said it out loud, until she saw the line. Helena made one pass in front of the building, watching as she rode by. The line led out the door and around the corner. It was still early, and the lounge wasn’t going to open for another half hour. 

“Line’s bad, Montoya.” If she found a parking spot now, it would still likely take her an hour to get inside.

_ “I was afraid of that. Park your ass and get in line.” _

“Way ahead of you.”

* * *

“The silence is  _ thrilling _ .”

Dinah was inclined to agree with Harley.  _ This time _ . Other than the occasional passing car, and the indistinct chatter of the people gathered in line around Helena, there was nothing coming through the line. Renee had warned Helena about talking to them while people were around. It would only draw attention to see her talking to herself. Outside, it wasn’t as big of a concern, but once she was inside the lounge it would be different. That was,  _ if _ , she ever got in.

“We’ve been waitin’ forever.” Harley whined. “Tell her to cut in front of somebody.”

Dinah crossed her arms. “Really?”

“What? She’s just as scary as anybody else there.”

Renee motioned for both of them to shut up. Dinah rolled her eyes and pushed herself out of her seat. “Where’s Cass?”

“Not my turn to watch her.” Harley shrugged.

Helena wasn’t going anywhere fast, so Dinah decided to investigate. Cass had been out of sight for too long, and it was too quiet. 

Thankfully, Cass couldn’t go far without one of them knowing. 

A ‘whoops’ and a clatter came from the room where Helena kept all their training equipment. The door was cracked open, and when Dinah pushed her way inside she saw some of Helena’s things scattered around the floor.

“Cass, what’re you doing?”

Her answer was found when she saw the stool underneath the salmon ladder. Cass was hanging onto the bar for dear life, doing her best to pull herself up to the next rung.

Dinah laughed. “Don’t hurt yourself, kid.”

“I’m fine.” Cass grunted.

“Uh huh. Get down.” Cass did so, but not without complaining. She dropped down to the stool and pouted. “If you’re that bored, put some gloves on. You can punch the bag or something. It’ll hurt less.”

Giggling came from the doorway, but it was unmistakably Harley. “You found her!”

“No thanks to you.”

“Hey,” Harley held her hands up defensively. “I’ve done enough work today.”

Dinah rolled her eyes. “You haven’t done  _ anything _ .”

Harley walked over to Dinah and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Not true. I know how ya were worked up about lovebird being alone at the lounge and all.” Dinah narrowed her eyes as Harley spoke. “So I called in a favor.”

Dinah felt her blood run cold. A hundred what-ifs and worst case scenarios flashed in her mind. “Harley, what did you do?”

* * *

The line behind Helena, waiting to get inside, wrapped clear around the block. Helena was waiting on the steps now, grateful to have made it that far. Instead of just the backs of people's heads she could see the frosted glass doors from where she stood.

She could hear Renee and Oliver talking in her ear, but the conversation wasn’t held close enough to the microphone for her to make out more than a few words. Doing her best to tune them out, she focused on the security guards that stood at the door. Unlike the people coming in and out, they were not quite as dressed up. They looked more like thugs taken off the street than formal security. 

The guard closest to her was opening the door and letting people in two or three at a time, but when he was waiting, he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He was a head taller than Helena, his shoulders wider than the door itself. 

_ I could take him. _

Shaking her head, Helena told herself she wouldn’t have to. Tonight, she was only a patron.  _ A nosy one. _

Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she shifted on her feet and looked back at the line. In her pocket, she found Pino’s car. Helena took a deep breath as she squeezed it, before she began using the tip of her finger to spin one of the wheels. It helped calm her nerves, even as the line grew shorter.

She had no reason to be nervous.  _ All I have to do is look around and leave _ .

“Next.”

It was her turn. She pulled her hands free from her pockets and smoothed her jacket down, stepping up when the security guard waved her on.

A chill ran down Helena’s spine as she walked through the doors into the Iceberg Lounge. Despite the crowd, she could still see her breath in the air. The icy motif was a little over the top for her taste.

“He’s really selling this Penguin thing, huh?” Helena muttered quietly to herself.

The earpiece crackled in her ear.  _ “Shh. Shut up.” _ Renee hissed.  _ “Don’t walk around talking to yourself. We went over this.” _

_ Right _ . Helena opened her mouth to say ‘sorry’ but caught herself and cleared her throat.

_ “She’s not going to last five minutes.” _ Oliver’s voice was faint, somewhere farther away from Renee’s microphone.

Helena rolled her eyes and tried to focus.  _ Take a lap. _ She made her way through the crowd, taking care not to bump into anyone. Smooth jazz music filled the air, mingling with the murmur of voices. There were waitresses clad in swimsuits that walked around with trays laden down with drinks that circled around. Helena was careful to avoid them. 

The sound of someone whistling stopped her in her tracks. Helena looked around, but couldn’t find where the noise had originated. 

“Oh, lovebird!” The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as the unfamiliar voice called out to her. Turning toward the voice, she found a woman waving at her from the bar. Helena locked eyes with her and froze. The woman had flaming red hair, but her skin was  _ green _ . She was practically reclined against the bar, the black gown she was wearing clinging to her body and leaving little to the imagination. She flashed her teeth with a devilish grin, lifting her finger and beckoning Helena over. Helena’s feet moved on their own accord, steering Helena towards her. 

“Che cazzo?” Helena muttered under her breath.

When Helena reached the bar, the woman offered her a drink.

“...No thank you.”

“No drinks?” The woman pouted, and Helena wondered why she felt like she’d let her down. “Come on, lovebird. I heard you were fun.”

_ She must know Harley _ . Helena’s eyes dropped down the curve of her neck, plunging lower as they followed the neckline of her gown. She swallowed hard, shaking her head to snap out of it. 

Oliver’s voice brought the earpiece to life.  _ “Who are you talking to?” _

Helena reached up as soon as she heard him and plucked the earpiece out of her ear. She hid it in her hand and slipped it down into her pocket. It would buy her a few minutes of silence. “Whoever told you that must have lied.” 

The woman dragged a sharp fingernail up the underside of Helena’s chin, tipping her head back. “She doesn’t lie often. But you  _ are _ cuter than she mentioned.” She released Helena’s chin and smiled. “Most people call me Poison Ivy. I’m a friend.”

It was freezing cold in the lounge, but Helena could feel sweat rolling down her back. “A friend?” Helena was skeptical, but her gut told her to trust Harley’s judgment. For once.

“The only friend you’ll find in this place, lovebird.”

* * *

“Poison  _ Ivy _ ?!” Dinah was almost shouting. “Are you insane?!”

“No?” Harley shrugged. “I mean maybe -- no -- she wanted to help.”

“Why would she want to help us?”

Oliver’s indignant snort caused Dinah’s blood to boil. “You’re really surprised that  _ Harley  _ gave our entire plan away to Ivy?”

“Stay out of this, Oliver.” Dinah growled. She didn’t even look at him. She kept her eyes on Harley, refusing to back down. “ _ Why _ does she want to help?”

“She’s decent, I swear.” Harley’s promises were not comforting. “You guys didn’t want lovebird to be alone. I mentioned it to Red and she said she’d handle it.” Harley took a step back, which got her just out of Dinah’s reach. “She just wants to return the favor. You guys took care of me and the kid for a long time, plus the apartment-.”

Before Dinah could close the distance between them again, Renee was at her shoulder, grabbing her arm. “Doesn’t matter, Helena isn’t answering us. She must have taken the earpiece out.”

“Look at me.” Dinah stared at Harley. She waited until Harley made eye contact before she said another word. “You  _ swear _ that she only wants to help?”

“Swear.” Harley even crossed her heart. “The Penguin’s too close to Mista J, Red  _ hates  _ him.”

Dinah clenched her jaw, doing her best to resist grinding her teeth together.  _ I’m going to trust you. Don’t make me regret it. _

“Fine.” She relaxed her shoulders, shrugging out of Renee’s grip. “What’re they doing?”

“Just talking.” Renee said. “Come on.”

Dinah followed Renee back to the radio, taking Oliver’s seat.  _ Helena’s probably tired of hearing him by now anyway. _ She made herself comfortable, resting her arms on the table.

_ “Do you wanna dance?” _ The sultry notes of Poison Ivy’s voice practically floated through the radio.

Helena cleared her throat.  _ “No thank you.” _

_ “Dancing not your thing?” _

_ “...No.” _

Dinah smiled to herself.  _ Only when it’s with me. _

_ “Oh I insist.”  _ Ivy cooed.  _ “It’ll be easier to...talk.” _

Eventually, they heard Helena agree, albeit reluctantly. The conversation stopped after this for a few minutes, leaving Dinah sitting next to Renee, listening to the faint jazz melody over the hum of the crowd. 

“The waiting is the worst part,” Renee grumbled. “One of us should have gone with her.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.” Dinah would have taken her chances.  _ At least she won’t be recognized. _

_ “Your shoulders are so tense.”  _ The rustling of fabric caused static to fill the radio.  _ “I heard you were high-strung, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad.” _

Helena began stuttering out some form of protest, but it fell on deaf ears. 

Dinah looked over her shoulder and glared at Harley. “Can neither of you keep your hands to your damn selves?”

Renee tried to shush her, but Dinah ignored it. She focused only on Harley. 

Harley eventually shrugged. “Relax. Red’s mostly into words and shit.  _ I’m  _ the grabby one.”

_ “Let me fix this for you, lovebird.” _

There was more static that followed, but it didn’t last more than a few seconds. 

_ “Can you hear better now?” _

Renee glanced at Dinah. “Did she just put the earpiece back in?”

“I don’t know.” Dinah leaned in close to the microphone. “Helena? Can you hear us?”

_ “Dinah? Hi.” _

_ “How are your friends?” _

“Tell her we can hear loud and clear.” Renee said.

There was a pause before Helena answered.  _ “They’re good.” _

_ “Perfect.” _

* * *

Poison Ivy was pressed against her, one arm wrapped around Helena’s waist to keep her close. That wasn’t a problem, but the presence of her mouth against Helena’s ear was causing issues. They had already tested the microphone, and gotten the all-clear from Renee. The close proximity meant that no one could read her lips, or figure out they were having a conversation at all. She hadn’t spoken loudly, maybe loud enough for the microphone, but mixed in with the music and the hum of the other voices around them they wouldn’t be easily identified.

_ I just wish she didn’t have to be so close.  _

Helena was stiffly following her lead, allowing herself to be steered around the dancefloor.

“Why are you even here?” Helena finally asked. “What’s your game?”

Ivy pulled back far enough that Helena could almost count the shades of green in her eyes. They weren’t quite as unsettling as the color of her skin. “I’m returning the favor. For Harley.”

_ Thought so.  _

She didn’t give Helena the chance to ask anymore questions, but it did ease Helena’s discomfort.  _ I can trust her _ . 

“Listen to me,” She leaned back in to speak against Helena’s ear.  _ As if I have a choice.  _ “Stay away from the security guards. They’re all ex-mafia, and he never lets them get too close.”

“Okay.”

“The waitresses are mostly for show.” Helena remembered seeing their swimsuits. Despite how cold the entire building was, they were dedicated to maintaining a specific aesthetic. “There are a few he’s close to, but it’s not worth the risk. They spy on everyone already.”

_ She seems to know what she’s talking about.  _

“He’s watching us now.” Ivy continued, her voice lowering slightly, as if mentioning him at all gave her away. “Upstairs. We’ll have to go see him, soon. If I don’t, he’ll consider it an insult.”

_ “Do not go upstairs with her.”  _ Dinah spoke in her ear.  _ “Stay - away - from the Penguin.” _

Helena could only nod, though she didn’t know which one it was for.

“Anything else?” Helena asked.

“Yes. Stay away from his harem.” Helena tried to pull back to give Poison Ivy a puzzled look, but the tight grip she held Helena with stopped her from getting far. “You’ll see some of them when we go upstairs. Remember their faces. You won’t get any information out of them.”

“Okay. What do I do?”

Ivy’s sigh indicated her uncertainty. “I don’t know. I would start with one of the bartenders.”

“A bartender?”

“Mmhmm. He trusts them to make his drinks, after all.” She paused, giving it some thought. “But, just like everyone else he keeps close, they’re criminals. They can be bought. Or in your case, well, it’s lucky you’re cute.”

“I...uh...I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ivy.”

“He’s up to something, lovebird. If you want to know  _ what _ \- if you want to stop him - you’re going to have to get cozy.”

Helena sighed.  _ I’m not going to like this _ . “Anything else?”

“He doesn’t trust me.” There was laughter in her voice, as if she enjoyed the fact. “He’ll be polite to my face, but that’s it.”

“But you want to go upstairs--I don’t understand.” 

“Don’t worry.” Helena was definitely going to worry, despite how soothing her voice was. “I know what I’m doing. I’ll cover for you.”

* * *

“This is great.” Oliver was sitting with his head in his hands, listening to Helena and Ivy talk through the radio. “It’s bad enough you told Harley about all this in the first place.” He lifted his head to look at Dinah. “But now, Ivy’s going to ruin everything. The Penguin’s not an idiot.”

Dinah bit her tongue. Her trust in Harley wasn’t very strong, but Helena seemed to be alright - for now.

“Don’t worry,” Renee said. “As long as she’s careful-.”

Oliver was only getting more annoyed. “What? What’s our best scenario here? Bertinelli leaves and fucks Poison Ivy?”

“Shut the fuck up.” Dinah snapped at him. “That’s not what’s going to happen.”

“We’ll see.”

“I trust Helena.” Dinah countered. “Just because it’s what  _ you  _ would have done, doesn’t mean she will.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows. “Really? Is that what we’re doing?”

Dinah pressed her nails into her legs.  _ Ignore him. _ “Harley trusts Ivy. That’s good enough for me.” She didn’t have any other choice. But she hoped saying it out loud would get Oliver to back off.

“Do you hear yourself?” Oliver asked.

“Break it up, you two.” Renee warned. “Now’s not the time.”

Dinah clenched her fists and stood up.“I’m going outside.” She looked at Renee and tilted her head toward the radio. “Let me know if something changes.”

The nod from Renee was all she needed to turn and walk out the door.  _ It’ll only be a few minutes. _ She needed to be outside, needed to take the time to relax before another comment from Oliver started a full-blown fight.

Letting herself into her car, Dinah reclined the seat a little and popped open the center console. She felt around blindly until she managed to find the pack of cigarettes she kept at the bottom, as well as her lighter.

It took a few tries to get the lighter to strike properly, but the first rush of nicotine that hit her system was worth the wait.

_ I need to buy some more of those nicotine patches.  _

Dinah leaned her head against the seat and closed her eyes. She took another long drag from her cigarette, holding it in until her lungs burned. As she exhaled the passenger door opened. Dinah’s eyes snapped open.

Cass slumped into the passenger seat and shut the door. “Hey.” She muttered dejectedly.

“How’s it going in there?” Dinah asked, nodding toward the base. 

Cass shrugged one shoulder and began picking at a spot on the seat. “He thinks Helena is too awkward. But she’s fine with Ivy, right?”

_ I hope so _ .  _ So long as Ivy keeps her hands to herself. _

“Yeah, it’s an easy job.” Dinah said it more to convince Cass than anything.  _ Helena can handle herself _ . “For now.”

Cass was looking around but Dinah couldn’t tell if she was really listening. “He seems like a dick.”

_ Don’t laugh _ . “He grows on you.” Cass’ face crinkled in disgust. “But Ollie is used to everyone liking him.”

“Helena doesn’t.” Cass grumbled. “Me either.” Dinah rolled her eyes. She put her cigarette out and flicked it away from the car. “I thought you quit.”

“I did.” She gave Cass a warning look. “I keep these in my car.  _ Don’t  _ tell Helena.”

“Okay…” 

“I mean it.”

“ _ Okay _ .” Cass’ eyes rolled. “I won’t.”

“Here.” Reaching behind the seat, she grabbed Oliver’s watch out of her purse. “You have to give this back.”

Cass whined. “Really?”

“Mmhmm.” Dinah nodded.  _ Regardless of what Helena told you. _ “We don’t steal from friends.”

Cass eventually took the watch from her, stuffing it into her jacket pocket and muttering ‘uh huh’.

“Helena wanted me to give you this, too.” She held a folded fifty-dollar bill up between her fingers. Cass’ eyes lit up and she snatched at it, but Dinah grabbed her hand. She mustered her best mom-look. “ _ Cass _ .”

“No more stealing from Ollie, I got it,” She met Dinah’s gaze and huffed. “Even if he’s a dick.”

Dinah finally broke, chuckling to herself as she released Cass’ hand. “Good enough.”

Movement from behind Cass caught her eye, and she saw Harley waving at her from the door to the warehouse. 

“What does she want?”

Cass looked over her shoulder and shrugged. “Dunno.” She opened the door and leaned out. “What?”

“Red’s taking her upstairs.” Harley called. “Montoya said to get ya!”

“Fuck.” Dinah cursed under her breath and put the pack of cigarettes away.  _ I told her not to go up there.  _ “Let’s go, kid.”

* * *

“Let me do the talking, okay?”

Ivy had her arm looped through Helena’s and was slowly leading her up the stairs. 

“Suits me.” Helena replied quietly. 

“Don’t stare at the girls.” Ivy warned her. “That’ll piss him off.”

“Got it.” 

Reaching the top of the stairs, another wave of chills struck Helena. It was even colder upstairs than it had been on the dance floor. Ivy confidently navigated the floor, pulling Helena past a handful of security guards and towards a large sofa that was surrounded by a crowd of women. The spotlight overhead was blinding, illuminating them and everything around them. In the center sat a man with a tall top-hat on, his attention on the floor below. 

As they walked closer, Ivy dug her nails into Helena’s arm. Helena took it as her last warning. Ivy’s face was expressionless, her eyes focused ahead of them. They only stopped when a security guard stepped in front of them.

“No closer, Ivy.” He warned. “What do you want?”

Her lips curled upwards into an enchanting smile. “I came to see an old friend.”

Helena’s shoulders tensed when the guards eyes moved to her, looking her up and down. “He should know I’m here.” Ivy added. 

His eyes left Helena only to mutter ‘we’ll see’. He turned his back on them and went to the sofa, leaning over to whisper in the man’s ear. Ivy’s hand, which had been a constant presence on Helena’s body from the moment she entered the lounge, finally left her arm. Helena took a deep breath, no longer having the contact to lean on. 

_ “Bertinelli what the hell are you doing?” _ Renee hissed in her ear. 

The man in the top-hat stood and looked over at Ivy and Helena. He stared down his long, beaklike nose and scowled.

“Poison Ivy!” The nasally voice that left his throat surprised her. “I was wondering when you’d decide to show your face.”

He staggered around the sofa, bracing himself with an umbrella that he used as a cane. He waddled in an exaggerated fashion, holding his arm out as he approached Ivy. 

“Glad to see you opened back up.” Ivy smiled as she leaned down, allowing him to kiss her cheek. “Been a long time.”

“Had to give Sionis his time in the spotlight, my dear. Are you having a good time?”

_ “Helena, get out of there.” _ Dinah warned. She sounded worried.

“It’s been great.” Ivy replied coolly. 

The Penguin put his hand on Ivy’s shoulder, his smile insincere “I saw you dancing with your...friend.” As he said it, he cut his eyes at Helena. 

Ivy was unfazed. “Isn’t she cute? I met her at the bar.”

“I  _ saw _ .”

Ivy looked over her shoulder and batted her eyes at Helena. “Said she’s in one of those mafia families.”

“Oh?” That piqued his interest. “What’s your last name?”

“Mandragora.” Helena lied, on reflex. 

The Penguin pushed Ivy to the side, narrowing his eyes as he waddled closer to Helena. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time.”

_ “Helena.”  _ Hearing her name come from Dinah reminded Helena to breathe.  _ “Get out.” _

She didn’t move. The Penguin was standing so close his protruding stomach touched her jacket. His nose was inches from her face. Helena resisted the urge to back away from him. She could reach her gun, if she needed. But she didn’t want to take the chance. 

“Which family do you belong to?”

Helena kept her breathing steady as he stared at her with beady eyes. “Just an associate.” Helena replied quietly. 

He laughed - an annoying quacking sound - his breath hot on her face. He stepped backwards, directing his laughter at Poison Ivy.

“Another wannabe gangster trying to ride on our coattails, Ivy.” His laughter began to die down. “Not even initiated yet.” The Penguin looked down to the umbrella clenched in his fist. “Are you terribly fond of this one?”

It took half a second for Ivy’s eyes to dart from the umbrella to Helena’s face. They locked eyes, and she spoke. “Just another flavor of the week, Penguin. You know how it is.”

The Penguin snapped the umbrella up, pointing it at Helena’s chin. “So you won’t mind if I shoot her?”

“No.”

Helena didn’t even flinch. Doing her best to keep her features relaxed, she stared at the tip of the umbrella - down the barrel of a gun. She could hear Dinah and Renee’s voices both talking over each other in her ear, but Helena didn’t take her attention off the Penguin. Poison Ivy was watching from over his shoulder, but for a moment Helena was even able to block her out of view. Everything became still and silent around her as Helena stared the Penguin down.

_ I’m not afraid of you. _

There were a few ways she could get out of the predicament, but most of them would give her away.  _ We’re past that now. I have to get out of here.  _ She could disarm him, especially standing this close. The guards would cause more problems than he would on his own.

_ “Helena,”  _ Dinah’s voice pleaded with her,  _ “Talk to us. Please.” _

“You done?” Helena whispered.

A beat passed and the umbrella dropped. The quacking laughter surrounded her as the Penguin threw his head back and cackled. Helena kept her back straight, even as he turned his back on her to look at Poison Ivy.

“I  _ like  _ this one!” He shouted, clapping his hand on Ivy’s shoulder. “She’s got guts. Not like these spineless bastards I keep around here.”

When he released Ivy’s shoulder she swept around him, slipping her arm through Helena’s and giving it a tug. “Too bad, Penguin.” Ivy crooned. “She’s coming home with me.” She gave him a wink and spun Helena around to leave. “We’re gonna take off.”

Helena could already hear him waddling away. “Sure,” He replied sarcastically. “You two have fun.”

Ivy was practically dragging Helena by the arm when they reached the stairway. 

_ “H, what’s going on?” _

_ Dinah. _

Taking a deep breath, Helena followed Ivy down the stairs as calmly as she could. 

“I’m fine.” She assured Dinah. “I think it’s time to go.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Ivy muttered.

* * *

“What the fuck was that?” Dinah shouted at Harley. When she received only a shrug in response, Dinah clenched her fists. If she didn’t, she’d pull her hair out. “He was going to  _ shoot  _ her.”

“But he didn’t.” Harley replied optimistically.

“Relax.” Renee was still trying to settle Dinah down. Dinah was pacing back and forth, waiting for Helena to get back. “She’s on her way.”

Dinah hadn’t yet tuned out the sound of the motorcycle’s engine coming through the radio. She  _ knew  _ Helena was coming.

Oliver, engrossed in his phone, had been ignoring them for a few minutes now. Dinah was quietly glad for that, at least. She didn’t need any comments from him to add to her anger.

When the sound of the engine reached them from outside, Renee reached over and cut the radio off. Dinah continued pacing until the motor died, and Helena was walking through the door. Helena kept her head down, placing her helmet onto the table and removing her jacket. They watched her in silence, and Dinah crossed her arms. Oblivious, Helena removed the gun holster from her shoulder and began pulling the wire out of her shirt.

It was Renee who cleared her throat. Helena looked up from the table, glancing around the room.

“That could have gone better.” Renee said.

Dinah couldn’t agree more. “Took the words right out of my mouth, Montoya.”

“I think it went well.” Oliver spoke, never looking up from his phone.

Helena said nothing. That was the worst part. She sighed, pulling her jacket back on and carefully approached the table where Renee was sitting. 

“Next time will be better.” Helena finally decided.

“ _ Next time _ ?!” Dinah stared at her. “What the hell makes you think there’s going to be a next time?”

Helena’s head tilted slightly. “He likes me.”

“He tried to kill you, Bertinelli.” Renee corrected. “There’s no next time.”

_ Glad Renee is on my side. _

“Actually…” Oliver put his phone away and stood up. “There will be. One of my contacts just found an EMP device planted by the Penguin on the other side of the city.”

“Don’t start this.” Dinah rolled her eyes. “This can’t be like all your  _ leads _ . You know, the ones that took us nowhere?”

He ignored her jab. “This is real, Dinah. If there are more of these devices-.”

“We aren’t using Helena to find out.”

“He  _ likes  _ her.” Oliver repeated what Helena had said. “She’s our best shot at getting close to him.”

_ I don’t think so _ .

“So you expect us to just trust whoever your ‘contact’ is?” Dinah turned on him. “We don’t even know them.”

“Oh sorry,” Sarcasm dripped from his tongue. “I thought if you just blindly trusted people like Poison Ivy, you wouldn’t mind.”

“Enough.” Helena growled. “I’ll find out what he’s hiding. I just need time.”

“You can’t be serious.”

One glance from Helena told Dinah she was  _ very  _ serious. “Got a better plan?”

Dinah looked away. She didn’t. But neither did anyone else.

Renee was massaging her temples, eyes closed. “Fine. Start with the bartenders, like Ivy said.”

Oliver shook his head but offered no argument. Dinah’s only argument was that Poison Ivy had nearly gotten Helena shot. That wasn’t getting her very far.

“In the meantime,” Oliver added, “My friend is going to try and find any more of these EMPs.”

“Okay.” Helena nodded. “We’ll wait a few days and try again.”

* * *

Helena sighed and took her keys out of her pocket. Oliver and Renee could stay here and work all night if they wanted. Helena just wanted to go home.  _ I want out of this suit _ .

Dinah had already stepped outside, but Helena knew she was waiting. Even though they had arrived separately, she didn’t expect Dinah to leave without her. 

Sure enough, Dinah already had the motor running. She’d rolled down her window, but was staring down at the steering wheel, her jaw set.

With keys in hand, Helena walked over to Dinah’s car and leaned down into the open window. The smell of stale cigarette smoke filled her nostrils.  _ Better to not ask _ . Dinah didn’t even look up.

“Hi.”

Dinah was chewing on the inside of her cheek. When Helena reached in and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Dinah glared.

“Okay.” 

Helena straightened up, putting her keys back into her pocket.  _ I can get my motorcycle tomorrow.  _ She crossed in front of the car and climbed into the passenger seat. Shutting the door, she adjusted the seat and looked over at Dinah.

“Can we go home now?” Helena asked.

Dinah’s response was to put the car in drive.  _ She’s still mad _ . Sighing, Helena tried to think of what to say. Dinah had already heard it all through the radio, hadn’t she?

When Dinah pulled onto the street and started home, Helena lowered her hand between them, offering it for Dinah to take. Helena said nothing. Waiting was easier.

When Dinah did take her hand and gave it a squeeze, Helena caught herself smiling. 

“Tell me what happened.” Dinah said quietly. “With the Penguin.”

Helena could still see him and his umbrella. “I think it was a test.”

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“Honestly?” She saw Dinah nod. “I wasn’t. I mean...I started thinking about disarming him but --.”

“Weren’t you scared?” Dinah asked, cutting her off.

“No.” She began rubbing the back of Dinah’s hand with her thumb. “I--I trusted Ivy. I think he was testing both of us.”

It was an odd thought, but it was the only thing Helena could think of. He was trying to see if Ivy  _ knew  _ her - cared about her. If either of them had flinched, or reacted anymore than they had, Helena had no doubts he would have shot her.

“And you passed.” She didn’t miss the bitterness in Dinah’s voice.

“I think so.”

Dinah glanced over at her. “How was Ivy?”

“Different.” Helena hadn’t given it much thought. “Though I’ll be happy if I never have to stand that close to her again.”

This drew a laugh from Dinah. “Oliver said our best case scenario was if she dragged you off and slept with you.”

“Not interested.” Helena replied. “The green skin is...off-putting.”

“That’s the  _ only _ reason?” Dinah asked, her frown returning.

_ Oops _ . “No--.” Helena began scrambling. “I mean sure she’s attractive but -- wait -- I didn’t want to -- I wasn’t  _ going  _ to.”

Helena was still trying to recover when Dinah pulled the car to a stop at a redlight. Helena sheepishly met her gaze and tried to seem apologetic.

Dinah shook her head but cracked a smile. “Relax, H. I was joking.”

_ Thank God _ . Helena didn’t want her to be mad about  _ that  _ too. Even though it was the truth - Poison Ivy wasn’t her type.

Helena hummed and pulled Dinah’s hand up to her lips, peppering kisses across her knuckles. The last remnants of Dinah’s bad mood seemed to have faded away, and she had begun to relax. 

When they made it home, they walked hand-in-hand from Dinah’s car up to their apartment. They were quiet in the stairwell, even as Helena drug her keys out to unlock the apartment door.

“So,” She began casually once the door was unlocked and she held it open for Dinah. “How many cigarettes did you smoke tonight?”

Dinah scoffed a little. “Don’t worry about it.”

Helena rolled her eyes, locking the door behind her. Dinah began helping her take her jacket off, then unbuttoning Helena’s collar. 

“You can admit you were worried, you know.”

“I wasn’t worried.” 

Helena gave her a quick kiss, grinning against Dinah’s lips.

“Liar.”

“Uh huh.” Dinah wrinkled her nose. “Just like you didn’t think about sleeping with Ivy?”

“I mean I’d rather sleep with you—.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before Helena could stop them.  _ Maybe that was a little too honest. _

The next thing Helena knew, Dinah was grabbing hold of her shirt collar and pulling her down, crushing their lips together. 

Any thoughts of the Penguin, or of Poison Ivy were pushed far from Helena’s mind. As impatient hands began fumbling with her shirt, tugging and pulling when the buttons proved too stubborn, Helena’s only thought was of Dinah.

* * *

A cold chill washed over Dinah’s skin, bringing with it a wave of goosebumps. She felt around blindly for the blankets, but came up empty handed.

Opening her eyes, Dinah realized why. There was a thin sheet tangled around her, but nothing else. Any blanket thicker than that seemed to be on the floor.

_ Probably piled up with our clothes. _

Helena lay face down next to her, one arm tucked under her head and the corner of the sheet draped across her waist. 

Helena usually woke up much earlier than Dinah did, so to find her still fast asleep was a surprise. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Dinah pressed herself into Helena’s side, trying her best to warm up.

Once comfortable, Dinah brought her hand up to the small of Helena’s back and began tracing patterns into her bare skin. Stifling a yawn, she slowly trailed her finger up Helena’s back. Dinah’s eyelids still felt heavy as she watched her finger glide across Helena’s skin. 

There were a few still-pink scratch marks decorating Helena’s shoulders. Dinah smiled to herself when she saw them. When she lightly dragged her fingernail across one that lay between Helena’s shoulder blades, it caused Helena to shudder. A deep breath followed, and Helena turned her head toward Dinah before tiredly opening one eye and looking at her.

“Morning,” Dinah murmured. “I was cold.”

This earned her an over-exaggerated huff from Helena, whose eye shut again after a moment. Helena eventually shifted onto her side so that she was facing Dinah, before wrapping her arms around Dinah and pulling her close.

“Oh,” Dinah let out a quiet gasp. “Thank you.”

Helena yawned. “Shh-shshsh. Go back to sleep.”

“Grumpy.” Still, Dinah laughed, burying her face against Helena’s shoulder. 

“Shhh…”

Dinah relented, finding comfort in the warmth of Helena’s body.  _ I guess it can’t hurt to sleep a little while longer.  _ Helena’s breathing had already slowed, and Dinah could tell she was drifting off again.

They lay like this together for a few minutes, dozing off and on, before the phone rang. Dinah expected Helena to ignore it, but instead she began cursing under her breath, blindly feeling for the phone with one arm. When she found it, she gave it to Dinah.

“Answer.” Helena grumbled.

Dinah didn’t check to see who was calling, but she put the phone against her ear all the same.

“Hello?”

“Oh,” the man’s voice on the other end sounded surprised. “Hello. I’m guessing this is...Dinah?”

Dinah shifted so that she could look at Helena, who was laying there with her eyes still closed.

“Yes,” Dinah answered slowly. “Who is this?”

“Helena’s uncle, Sal.”

_ Shit. _

“Is Helena around?”

Dinah didn’t know what to say. “Yeah, she is, uh —she’s still asleep.” That at least appeared to be true. She hadn’t so much as moved since giving Dinah the phone. “Do you need me to wake her up?”

She could hear Sal chuckling. “Oh no that’s alright. Hope I didn’t wake you.”

“You didn’t.” Dinah promised. 

“Are you both doing okay?”

Dinah didn’t know how much Helena told him, or what  _ she  _ should tell him. 

“We’re good,” is what she settled on. “Just had a long night.”

He started laughing, and it took Dinah a second to realize why.  _ Maybe I should go back to sleep. _

She brought a hand up and covered her face. “Sorry. We were...working.”

“I believe you.” Sal said as his laughter died down. “Let Helena know I’ll call back later.”

“I will.” 

He said his goodbyes and hung up, leaving Dinah to drop the phone onto the bed with a groan.

_ Great. _

“Helena.” When she received no response, she pinched Helena’s arm. 

“Ow.”

“Your uncle called.”

“Which one?”

_ “Helena. _ ”

Helena finally opened her eyes to look at her. “Hmm?”

“Your uncle  _ Sal _ called.” Dinah repeated again, slowly. “And I answered.” She was mortified. “Now his first impression of me comes with the knowledge that I’m sleeping with you.”

Helena pressed her lips together, her shoulders shaking as she started quietly laughing. 

“Could be worse.”

“ _ How _ ?” Dinah asked her. “How could this be worse?”

“Could have been Renee.”

“Renee is not worse.” Dinah objected. “He’s going to hate me.”

“Sal will love you,” Helena assured her, pressing a kiss into her forehead. “You’ll get to meet him...eventually.”

Dinah sighed as Helena yawned again. She was too embarrassed to hope she met him anytime soon.

Helena picked up her phone from where Dinah had dropped it, and she watched as Helena cut it off.

“There. No one else can call. Can we go back to sleep?”

Dinah wasn’t tired anymore, but she wasn’t going to turn down the chance to stay in bed with Helena a little longer.

“Sounds perfect.”


	12. One for the Money

“This is the shit I was telling you about.” Renee leaned against the table, gesturing at the box Helena held in her hands. The wires had been cut,  _ by Renee _ , and she had brought the box straight to the warehouse. “This thing had killed everything for at least two blocks. Cellphone, radio, hell my TV didn’t even work.”

Oliver was peering over Helena’s shoulder, looking at the box. She was resisting the urge to elbow him in the gut.  _ Too close. _

“Where was it?” Helena asked, hoping Renee’s answer would distract her from his presence.

“Found it on a roof across the street, wired into a radio tower.”

“Makes sense.” Oliver took a step to one side, getting him away from Helena’s back. The hair on her neck stood on end as she listened to him. “If the pulses are riding on the radio waves, he can shut everything down.”

“That doesn’t explain why we had to be here so early.” Harley whined. She was laying across a few chairs she’d strung together.

“I don’t remember anyone inviting you, actually.” Oliver countered. “Or the kid.”

Helena rolled her eyes. It hadn’t been  _ that _ early. As for Harley, she seemed to have a knack of just knowing where they were. She’d shown up on her own, with Cass in tow.  _ I’m sure Oliver thinks I invited her. _

Helena would gladly take the blame, if it got on his nerves. Harley and Cass had both been quiet, though clearly tired. Helena didn’t see the harm. Personally, she had been up since six-thirty, so when Renee called shortly after eight, she’d already been up for quite some time. It  _ did _ wake Dinah up, however. Grumpily, Dinah had gotten out of bed, grabbed a change of clothes, and gone downstairs to wait for Helena in the car. They had arrived at the base easily twenty minutes before Renee, who despite having cut the wires powering the EMP, was still trying to remove it from the radio tower. Upon reaching the base  _ before _ Renee, Dinah had disappeared to go take a shower while they waited. Oliver had showed up shortly afterwards, but he made a point to stand outside and wait for Renee, as opposed to sitting inside with Helena - in silence. 

Then to everyone’s surprise, Harley and Cass had dragged themselves inside. Dinah was still in the shower, for now, but Renee had gone ahead and showed Oliver and Helena what she found. Not that it mattered, since it was now effectively broken. There wasn’t much to see. 

Turning the plastic casing over in her hands, Helena found a small umbrella carved into the inside.  _ Well, at least we know it’s from the Penguin _ . 

“Well?” Dinah’s voice came from the hallway. Helena turned at the sound of her voice to find Dinah freshly-showered, toweling the ends of her braids dry. 

“So nice of you to finally join us.” Oliver said dryly.

Dinah ignored him, though she did roll her eyes. “What do you guys wanna do?”

Seeing her opportunity - the chance to get  _ away _ from Oliver - Helena quickly made her way to Dinah’s side. She took the towel from Dinah without a word, and began drying the ends of Dinah’s hair for her. This earned her strange looks from Oliver, but Helena was just glad he was no longer breathing down her neck. 

“We need to see if we can find any more of these things.” Renee finally settled on. “There’s gotta be more.”

“Okay.” Dinah agreed. “But I think destroying them is a bad idea. What happens when the Penguin catches on?”

Harley giggled. “He’ll be pissed.”

Helena held the towel with both hands, carefully rolling Dinah’s hair between her hands. Dinah had not used the coconut shampoo she kept at home, and the citrusy scent that Helena was struck with was unfamiliar - though not unpleasant.

_ I’ll have to bring some of her shampoo here for her. _

Looking up from Dinah’s hair, Helena saw Oliver scowling. “Again, Quinn -  _ who  _ invited you?”

“I did.” Helena lied. It was a  _ firm _ lie, and no doubt believable. Oliver directed his glare in Helena’s direction instead.

“Of course you did.”

When he turned his back on her, Helena saw Renee follow up with a questioning look of her own. Helena winked at her.

“Anyway.” Dinah spoke with an annoyed tone. “We can drive my car around today and see what we can find.”

Oliver’s response was immediate. “I’ll come with you. If we map everything it’ll be easier.”

Before anyone else could jump at the opportunity, Harley stood up. “Ooh a car ride with Dinah  _ and  _ Queenie? I’m in.”

“No-.” Oliver started.

“Sure, you can come.” Dinah told her. 

_ Is she saying that because she actually wants Harley to come? Or just so she’s not alone with him? _

“But,” Dinah continued. “You have to actually  _ help _ . You said this took out your cell signal, right Montoya?”

“Yeah. Shouldn’t be hard to notice more.”

Helena saw Cass perk up a little. “I want to go too.”

“I don’t think so, kid.” Renee shook her head. “You get to hang out here with me and Bertinelli.”

Cass did her best not to frown. “That sounds boring.”

“You think me and Helena are boring?” Renee pretended to be offended. When Dinah laughed, Helena smiled. 

“What’re you going to do then?” Cass asked. “Sit here?”

Renee didn’t respond, likely because that  _ was  _ her plan, to stay posted by the radio and receive updates from Dinah. 

Helena peered at Cass over Dinah’s shoulder, finally pulling the towel away. “I mean, I’ll probably walk around.”

Cass brought her hand up to her forehead, sighing loudly. 

“Are you going back to the lounge tonight?” Renee asked, looking at Helena.

“She’ll have to.” Oliver followed, before Helena could give her own answer. “Dinah’s right, he might notice if these start going missing. We need to start working on him.”

_ Not that I want to.  _

Dinah took the opportunity to turn around, taking the towel from Helena’s hands.

“Do you have any of the conditioner here?”

“No, I didn’t bring any.” Dinah said quietly before kissing her on the cheek. “Thanks, H.”

Helena murmured a ‘you’re welcome’ before Oliver had drawn her attention. 

“We have to get the mic and receiver set up in Dinah’s car so Renee can hear us.” He paused, looking over at Renee. “Just in case.”

_ Just in case _ . 

Helena didn’t like the idea of staying at the base doing nothing all day, but it would be hard to join them. She couldn’t justify leaving Cass here alone with Renee, not knowing how much she disliked it. But Helena had her own job to do, though it wouldn’t be until later that evening. The Iceberg Lounge was her domain alone. They all had to do their part, regardless of her feelings.She understood this was  _ her  _ job, her piece of this puzzle. But Helena wasn’t looking forward to going back to the lounge  _ alone _ . 

* * *

“My phone’s dead.” 

Dinah glanced up at the rearview mirror and found Harley pouting. “You know, the whole point of you coming with us was so you could help us check for signal drops.” Dinah sighed.  _ Should have known better _ . “Not to sit there and play games until you killed the battery.”

“Do you have games on  _ your  _ phone?” Harley asked. 

“No.”

“Alright then.” Harley’s hand appeared next to her face. She made a grabbing gesture. “Gimme.”

Oliver was not amused. “She isn’t getting mine.”

Dinah rolled her eyes, but relinquished her phone. Harley snatched it, falling back into the backseat with a delighted cackle. 

They’d already been driving around for a few hours. The traffic was worse than Dinah had expected, but Oliver had marked a few places down on his map. They had all agreed to leave the EMPs as they were, for now. It was better to have an idea of how many there were - they didn’t want to move too quickly and began destroying them.

The car’s engine was whining, louder than normal.  _ Wonder how long I can ignore this? _ It mingled with the sound of Harley tapping away at Dinah’s phone. She couldn’t quite shake the feeling that giving Harley free reign of her cellphone was a  _ mistake _ .

_ Maybe she won’t get into too much trouble. _

“Ooh!” Harley exclaimed after a few minutes. “ _ Lovebird! _ ” 

Dinah felt herself tense.  _ Uh oh _ . 

Harley began impatiently tapping at the screen. “Where’s the  _ rest _ ?”

Dinah knew immediately what Harley had found. She’d taken the picture of Helena days before. It was  _ tasteful _ , at least. Helena had been lying on her stomach, arms folded under her head. The sheet draped across her waist kept her from being  _ entirely  _ exposed, though it lay just below the dimples on Helena’s lower back. The blinds in the window caused light and shadow to paint stripes across Helena’s bare skin. But that wasn’t the reason Dinah loved this particular picture. Helena’s hair hung messily in front of her face and despite heavy lidded eyes, Helena had been watching Dinah quietly and  _ smiling _ . 

“Quit going through my pictures,” Dinah warned. 

“Any  _ interesting  _ ones?” 

“No. Stop looking.”

Harley stared her down in the rearview mirror, giving it some thought. “ _ No _ .”

Oliver frowned. “What is she looking at?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Harley asked before Dinah could answer. “Ya fuckin’ perv’.”

“ _ Harley _ .” 

“I can’t believe this.” Oliver grumbled.

Dinah gripped the steering wheel tightly and ground her teeth together. When she had agreed to come with him to drive around Gotham looking for more EMPs, she had  _ hoped _ his attitude would have improved.

“First of all, I can’t believe you still have this crappy car.”

She rolled her eyes.  _ Glad that hasn’t changed _ . “There’s nothing wrong with my car.” 

The noises that had been coming from under the hood all day said otherwise, but Dinah was actively ignoring those. She’d learned a long time ago that unexplained noises were  _ expensive _ .

“Why don’t you get your  _ girlfriend  _ to buy you a new one? I heard she was a billionaire too. Looks like you have a type.” 

Dinah chewed on her cheek. “How many cars did  _ you  _ buy me, Oliver?”

“None. You wouldn’t let me.”

“So what makes you think I’d let Helena?” Dinah replied angrily.

In the edges of her vision, she saw him shrug. “She’s kind of bitchy. I didn’t think she’d give you much of a choice.”

Dinah pumped the brakes. Oliver lurched forward, his forehead hitting the windshield. He began cursing as he slumped back into the seat, hand coming up to rub the spreading red mark. 

“Jesus fuck, Dinah--.”

Harley reappeared in the rear view mirror, having used the front seats to pull herself out of the floor. She looked a little disoriented, but she was smiling.

“Brakes work.” Harley laughed, leaning close to Oliver’s ear. “That was fun.”

_ “Are you guys okay?” _ Dinah sighed when she heard Renee’s voice. 

_ Forgot Renee was listening. Hope Helena didn’t hear any of that. _

All three of them chose to ignore Renee. Dinah had bigger problems.

“Helena isn’t  _ bitchy _ .” Dinah glared at Oliver as she said it. 

“Emotionally stunted, then.” Oliver countered. “Whatever you want to call it.”

Dinah’s knuckles were turning white. “I don’t know what your problem with her is, but you better fuckin’ get over it.”

Before Oliver could say another word, she pried her hand from the steering wheel and ripped the microphone connecting them to the base out of the radio.  _ They don’t need to hear any of this. _

“I don’t have a problem--.” Oliver began. 

“Bullshit. You have been making smart ass comments about her for days.”

“I think he’s jealous.” Harley chimed in.

The more time that passed, the more Dinah was beginning to agree with her. 

Oliver’s face was beginning to turn red. “I’m not jealous.” He insisted. “I just don’t know what you see in someone like  _ that _ .”

“That’s none of your business.” Dinah didn’t like his tone. “My relationships are no longer your problem.” She took a curve a little faster than she meant to, jostling both him and Harley. 

“Oh I’m sorry.” Oliver laughed. “I thought we were friends.”

They hadn’t even been in the car that long, but he was managing to get on every nerve Dinah had. “I never said we weren’t. But if we’re  _ friends _ , then you need to give it a rest. If you actually bothered to get to know Helena--.”

“She seems...boring.”

“Shut up, dickhead.” Harley joined in, immediately taking Dinah’s side. “Lovebird is  _ amazing _ .”

_ Boring _ . The word reverberated in Dinah’s head. Helena wasn’t boring. For Dinah, Helena was  _ consistent _ , dependable. She was even funny, when she wanted to be. Above all, Dinah trusted Helena. There was something about knowing they could rely on Helena for anything that brought Dinah a comforting feeling of safety. She didn’t waste time wondering where Helena was, or what she was doing. It hadn’t been like that with Oliver.

“Okay.” Oliver still seemed amused. If she hadn’t been driving, Dinah would have knocked the smile off his face. She thought briefly of pumping the brakes again, but decided against it.

“Like your Poison Ivy comment.” Dinah remembered how he’d acted the first night Helena had gone to the Iceberg Lounge. His snide remarks had been festering under Dinah’s skin since then. “Saying Helena was going to sleep with her. Remember?”

“Sure.”

“Stop saying shit like that. You know it bothers me. Especially considering you slept with your fucking secretary--.”

Harley’s mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide in shock. In Harley’s hand, she was clutching  _ her  _ cellphone.  _ I thought the battery died. _

Oliver hadn’t noticed Harley. “Are you still mad about that?”

“Yes!” Dinah yelled at him. “Because it was shitty - and I don’t care that we broke up - because you made some stupid choices.”  _ Hopefully this sinks in _ . “But if we  _ are  _ friends, then you need to act like it. Helena is different.” She took a deep breath and tried to loosen her grip on the steering wheel. “Just because  _ you  _ ruined our relationship, doesn’t mean she’ll do the same. Stay out of it.”

Oliver was silent - something Dinah had not expected.

“You came to Gotham to work on this Penguin thing.” Dinah continued. “Please just...focus on that. Because I don’t want to have this talk again.”

“Fine.” Oliver finally conceded. “I won’t say anything to  _ you  _ about it. But this doesn’t mean I like her.”

Dinah sighed. From Oliver, this was as good as she would get. “Look, you can say what you want to Helena - but when she finally breaks your nose? Just know that I don’t care.”

It was a fair warning. Dinah was beginning to think Helena was only tolerating Oliver because of Dinah.

“Don’t worry. I can handle myself, pretty bird.”

Dinah bristled. Helena hated when Oliver called her that. Before, Dinah hadn’t given his nickname any thought. Now, it was just annoying.

Dinah’s voice lowered dangerously. “Don’t call me that anymore.” 

“Why?” Oliver looked over and arched one brow. “Because you don’t like it, or because  _ she  _ doesn’t?”

“Doesn’t matter. Knock it off.”

It drew a snicker from Harley, who tapped at her phone. “Jackpot.” She was smirking mischievously. “I thank you both for your Oscar-worthy performance.”

Oliver groaned. “Did you have to bring her?”

Dinah ignored him and directed her glare at the mirror. “I thought your phone died.”

“Nah.” Harley winked at her. “I was just nosy.”

_ I’m going to kill both of them _ .

Dinah pressed her tongue against the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath. “Really?”

“Mmhmm!” Harley was far too excited. She glanced down at her phone and yelped. “Ooh! Dead zone!”

Leaning her arm against the door, Dinah let her head rest against her hand. “Mark it on the map, Oliver.”

“That makes number eight.” He scratched at the road map with a marker. “Maybe you should consider telling Montoya.”

* * *

“Cassandra Cain if you don’t keep your sticky fingers off our stuff--.” Helena looked over to see Cass casually sliding her hand into the pocket of her jacket. Renee lowered a glare in Cass’ direction. It wasn’t a substantial threat, though. Even coming from Renee. 

“What’re you gonna do, arrest me?”

Renee leaned away from the microphone and pointed at her. “Don’t push it.” Cass rolled her eyes, removing her hand from her pocket and making a point to show Renee it was empty  _ now _ . “Look, just don’t steal anything dangerous. Or important.”

“Uh huh. Why couldn’t I go with Dinah again?”

“Have you heard those two fightin’?’ Renee asked. 

“Yeah, I guess so.” Cass muttered.

Even  _ Helena  _ had heard them, though she’d been doing her best to ignore them. Oliver’s comments were starting to wear on her nerves, but Dinah seemed to get angrier with him as each minute passed.  _ I probably should have gone with them _ . Not that it would have made much of a difference. But it would have kept Harley from going, and she was only serving to stir the pot.

There was a moment of static on the radio.  _ “We can still hear you.”  _ Dinah complained.

“And that’s the first thing you’ve said in half an hour.” Renee countered. Dinah had only proved her point. Helena had found the half hour of silence odd, but they had all just chalked it up to being another dead spot caused by an EMP. “What happened to you guys?”

Oliver offered some form of explanation - and Helena thought he said something about the microphone being unplugged, but between the static and the loud whining noise that came from Dinah’s car it was hard to be certain. 

_ That doesn’t sound good. _

Renee must have read Helena’s mind. “Lance your car sounds like shit.”

_ “I agree.”  _ Oliver chimed in.  _ “It’s much louder in person. If it breaks down please come get us.” _

Renee rolled her eyes. “I’ll send Bertinelli.”

There was a pause.  _ “Nevermind.” _

Renee was looking at her. Helena sighed, meeting Renee’s gaze and shrugging. She didn’t know why Oliver didn’t like her, but she wasn’t losing sleep over it. His opinion of her was irrelevant. 

_ Doesn’t matter _ .

Helena turned her attention to Cass, who had found a place to sit on one of the tables. Cass’ attention was drawn to her lap, where she was holding the carcass of the EMP Renee had brought in earlier in the day.  _ Gotcha. _

Keeping her steps light, and moving slowly as to not draw Cass’ attention, Helena made one pass behind where Cass was sitting. With quick fingers and one fluid motion, Helena’s hand was in and out of Cass’ pocket. She never even noticed. 

Glancing down into her open palm, Helena saw one of the earpieces she’d been fitted with the first night she’d gone to the Iceberg Lounge. 

_ Why does she want this _ ?

Tucking it against her palm, Helena got Cass’ attention. “What’re you looking at?”

“Just this.” Cass shrugged and held the plastic casing up where Helena could see it. “It’s broken, right?”

“Mmhmm. Renee broke it when she took it down.”

“So what’s the Penguin need this for?”

Helena sighed.  _ I wish I knew _ . “That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

“What if it’s a waste of time?”

Helena would by lying if she said she hadn’t considered that possibility. There were far more pressing threats in Gotham that she’d rather be dealing with. But she couldn’t tell Cass that.

“Well,” She gave it some thought. “Even if it is. We’re learning. With Dinah and Oliver mapping out some of the other locations today, that’s probably a good start.”

“Yeah but you’re stuck here.” Cass said it with a dejected tone. 

“I have...a different job.” Helena explained. “We’ve all got a job to do, Cass. I’m not-I’m not  _ stuck _ .” 

Even if sometimes it felt like it.

Helena leaned over so that Renee couldn’t see what she was doing, not that Renee was paying attention. Once Cass was looking at her, Helena flashed the earpiece she’d taken from Cass’ pocket. Her eyes widened, and she immediately felt her pocket - though it was too late.

“Why did you take this?” Helena asked quietly. Lately, Cass’ target had almost exclusively been Oliver. 

Cass looked away, but Helena waited. If Cass answered - truthfully - then Helena was inclined to let her keep it. 

When Cass replied, it was quiet. “I just wanna be included.”

“Okay.” Turning her hand over, Helena allowed Cass to take the earpiece from her. “Sit here. Be right back.”

A few minutes later, after minimal questioning looks from Renee, Helena returned to Cass with her hands full. They only had a few of these, but Helena couldn’t see why they couldn’t spare one for Cass. She picked up one of the receivers, and the charger. Helena pulled up a chair so she could sit in front of Cass and Cass could see her tuning the receiver to the frequency that Dinah’s car was using. So long as she wasn’t driving through one of the dead-zones, there wouldn’t be a problem. 

With everything on and seemingly working, Helena put it in her ear to test it. Other than static, all she could hear was the whining noise that had been plaguing Dinah’s car all day. 

“Good enough.” Helena said with a sigh. “There’s no mic, but--.” She shrugged. “Renee’s deaf anyway.” Proving her point, she said this loud enough Renee  _ could  _ have heard her, but Helena received no acknowledgement. “Maybe you’ll hear something we don’t.” The important thing was that Cass seemed pleased. “Tonight if I go back to the lounge, maybe you can help her.”

It was getting late, anyway.  _ Dinah should be on her way back if they expect me to leave soon _ . Helena didn’t want to spend the entire night at the Iceberg Lounge, so the sooner she left the base the happier she’d be. But she didn’t want to leave until she knew Dinah was back safe. 

Cass grinned. She balled up her fist and stuck it out towards Helena. This time, Helena understood, clenching her fist and tapping their knuckles together. 

“Thanks, Helena.” 

She gave Cass a wink. “Consider us even, for the watch.”

_ “Shit.”  _ Helena’s head snapped up at the sound of Dinah’s voice coming through Renee’s radio.  _ “Renee my car just started smoking.” _

Static covered whatever Dinah said next. Standing up, Helena looked at Renee. “Tell her to pull over--.”

Renee was already ahead of her. “Lance that piece of shit’s probably overheating. Pull over.”

The next time a voice came through the radio, it was Oliver’s.

_ “You know when I said ‘if it breaks down’, I was joking, right?” _

“Cut the car off.” Renee instructed. “Where are you guys?”

_ “Fuck if I know.”  _ Dinah cursed.  _ “I’ll have Harley send it through my phone.” _

Renee was already reaching for her keys, which surprised Helena. “Alright, we’re on our way.”

“I can go--.” Helena started. Her motorcycle would be faster, anyway.

“We’re  _ all _ going.” Renee corrected. “I’ll call a tow truck on the way.”

“I can probably fix it.” 

Renee’s eyebrows shot up. “You want to try and fix it?”

“Yeah.” Helena shrugged. “Can’t hurt to try.”

“Do you know how late it is? We don’t even know what’s wrong with it.”

Another shrug.  _ I don’t care _ . It would be easier to do it herself than to have the car towed and wait days for some shop to take care of it. That was, provided it was something she could fix on her own.

“Fine.” Helena hadn’t expected Renee to agree so quickly. “Just get in the damn car. I should have some tools in the trunk.” She looked at Cass and motioned for her to follow. “You too, kid. Load up.”

* * *

“You’re doing that wrong.”

Dinah rolled her eyes.  _ Shut up Oliver _ . She was sitting on the sidewalk with Harley, while Oliver paced behind them and they all watched Helena rummage under the hood of her car. Helena had already taken the battery out so she had more room to work, and it was sitting on the pavement nearby. She’d called in the parts she needed, and was just waiting for Renee to come back from the automotive shop with everything she’d ordered. It was so late that Helena had to bribe them to stay open long enough for Renee to get there and pick the parts up. But everything had begun falling into place, and Cass was leaning against one side of the car, dutifully holding the flashlight for her. 

Other than Oliver’s occasional commentary, they were silent. Helena was too focused on the car to say much, and Dinah was trying to keep herself from snapping at Oliver. Again. It felt like that was all she had done today.

“Here.” Helena held out the wrench she had been using toward Oliver. “If I’m doing it wrong, feel free to take over.”

Dinah wrapped her arms around her knees and watched. Oliver made no move to take the wrench from Helena, instead busying himself with his cellphone.

After waiting for a few seconds, Helena withdrew the wrench and went back to work. 

This did not deter Oliver.

“How do you even know it’s the water pump?” He asked the question as he stared down at his phone.  _ He’s probably looking it up _ .

“Oh my God,” Harley whined, taking the words out of Dinah’s mouth. “Shut  _ up _ .”

Helena straightened up and looked over at the three of them. She had grease smudged across her cheek. Dinah would have enjoyed how cute she looked more if Oliver hadn’t been there bitching. She had told him earlier she wasn’t going to argue with him anymore, and she meant it. Helena was holding her own.  _ It would be easier if she went ahead and laid him out. _

“Well,” Helena began. “If it’s not the water pump, then I’ll try something else.”

As if on queue, Renee pulled in behind Dinah’s car. Dinah began applauding loudly when Renee stepped out of her car, holding the box containing the new water pump. When Harley joined in, Renee rolled her eyes.

“Here, Bertinelli.” Renee passed the box over to Helena, who immediately popped it open. “I got the coolant, too.”

“We really could have just had the car towed.” Oliver grumbled.

Dinah saw Helena roll her eyes before she disappeared behind the hood again, quietly telling Cass where to point the flashlight. Dinah sighed and turned her head to look at him. “Shut up, Oliver.” 

He softened, if only slightly. “It would have been  _ faster _ .”

“Maybe,” Dinah unfolded her legs and stood up. “But if Helena had called a tow truck, you would have spent an hour complaining that  _ you  _ could have fixed it.”

“Doubt it.” Helena muttered. “I don’t even think he knows what half of this stuff is.”

“Of course I do--.”Oliver opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Renee. 

“Has he been bitchin’ the whole time I was gone?”

“ _ Yes _ .” Dinah and Harley said in unison. 

Renee only shook her head. “Give it a rest, Queen.”

Dinah thought she heard an exasperated ‘please’ come from Helena, but she couldn’t be sure. Oliver was getting irritated, crossing his arms and pacing another lap on the sidewalk. But Helena had been working on Dinah’s car for almost two hours now, and they were  _ all  _ tired of listening to him.

_ At least Helena is able to ignore him.  _

“She should be at the Iceberg Lounge,” Oliver finally settled on. “We had  _ plans _ .”

He  _ did  _ have a point there. Standing on the sidewalk of a dark street watching Helena try to fix Dinah’s car wasn’t how  _ any  _ of them expected to spend their night. But things didn’t always go according to plan.

“Besides, where did she learn to fix cars? How do we know she’s not making it worse.”

Dinah wasn’t expecting Helena to offer him an explanation, since she’d ignored him thus far. But Helena told him all the same. “If you  _ must  _ know, my uncle is a cheap bastard. He never pays anyone to fix something if he can do it himself. Including cars.”

“What  _ else _ can you do?” He asked sarcastically. “Hack computers? Forge signatures?”

Renee, Dinah, and Harley spoke together in one annoyed chorus. “ _ Shut up _ .”

Helena  _ snorted _ , clapping one hand over her mouth to cover her laughter. This didn’t stop Cass, who started snickering. 

“Listen, Queenie.” Harley stood up and sauntered over to where Helena was bent over. Shoving her hand into the back of Helena’s pants, Harley withdrew a knife. She flicked it open and brandished it at Oliver in a lazy fashion.

“Wait,” Dinah started. “How did you know that was there--.”

“Shhhh.” Harley brought her finger up to her lips and gestured at Oliver again. “I’m gonna spell this out for ya. You keep talkin’, you’re eventually gonna piss  _ her _ off--.” She waved the knife over her shoulder towards Helena. “I’ve seen her lose it. It ain’t pretty. And you ain’t the first billionaire to get whacked on some back street in Gotham, neither.”

Oliver started sputtering but couldn’t find the words to argue. Dinah exchanged a glance with Renee, who had pressed her lips tightly together to keep from cracking a smile. Dinah thought about getting involved, but it was more fun to watch Oliver squirm.

Harley wasn’t finished. “Sure you can fight her if ya want to.” Harley shrugged and then looked from Renee to Dinah. “But the way I see it, you may be pretty, but there’s three other broads here who are gonna take  _ her  _ side. And Cass. Besides, between you an’ me, you’ve talked way too much today. Got it?”

_ Finally _ he seemed to take the hint. “Fine. When you ladies decide you want to get back to work, you can call me. I’m going to get a cab.”

Dinah sighed and sat back down on the curb. For the next five minutes, the only sound was that of Helena installing the new water pump. Harley had begun to mimic Oliver’s pacing, still wielding the knife. 

The cab couldn’t come fast enough. This seemed to be a sentiment shared by all, because when it finally did pull up next to them, Oliver climbed inside without so much as a goodbye. Helena was the only one who acknowledged him, throwing her hand out in a mock-wave before the cab pulled away.

Cass looked over her shoulder at Dinah, crinkling her nose in disgust. “I can’t believe you almost married that jerk.” 

_ Sometimes I can’t either _ . “Yeah, I know.”

Harley had finally closed the knife. She caught Dinah’s eye, winking as she put it back in Helena’s pants. “I think tall and brooding is an upgrade.” As she said this, she gave Helena’s upper thigh a pat. “Right, lovebird?”

“Mmhmm.” 

Helena stepped back from the car, rubbing her forehead. This only smeared more grease across her face. When she realized she pulled her hand away and muttered ‘fuck’ under her breath. 

“You’ve got more on your face than that, kid.” Renee laughed.

“Whatever.” Helena sighed and bent over to pick the car battery off the ground. “I’m almost done.”

Dinah stood back up and stretched. Stepping behind Helena, Dinah wrapped her arms around Helena and hugged her. While Helena put the battery back into place, she craned her neck to try and see what Helena was doing, but at this angle Helena was too tall for Dinah to be successful. Dinah sighed, settling on pressing her hands into Helena’s stomach. Even through the thin fabric of Helena’s shirt, Dinah could feel Helena’s muscles tensing as she continued to work. At least Helena didn’t seem to mind having Dinah leaning against her, though Dinah did briefly entertain the idea of letting her car break down more often.  _ Only if I get to watch her fix it. _

“Thank you,” Dinah said quietly. “Do you think you fixed it?”

“One way to find out.” Helena replied. “Let me top off the coolant and you can start it.”

Cass was watching intently from where she was perched against the side of the car. “So your uncle taught you how to fix cars?” 

“Mmhmm.” Helena replied before she gently removed Dinah’s arms from her waist so she could get the coolant from Renee’s car. “Though it was mostly me holding the flashlight like you’re doing...and Tomasso yelling curse words at me in Italian.”

Dinah looked over to see Cass’ mouth hanging open, clearly disappointed. “You didn’t even yell at me though.”

When Helena came back with the coolant, she looked at Cass with a puzzled expression. “Why would I?”

“It’s part of the experience!” Cass argued.

Helena shrugged. “I’m not an old Italian man with anger issues and high blood pressure.”

Dinah had been surprised that even with Oliver’s prodding, Helena hadn’t lost her temper _once_ while working on the car. Though Dinah was beginning to learn that so long as Helena had something to keep herself busy, it helped keep her temper in check.

“Can you teach me?” Cass asked.

“To fix cars, or curse in Italian?” 

“Uh...both?”

Helena glanced at Dinah and cracked a smile. “ _ No _ .” Dinah laughed before Helena could ask. “Teach her the first part. She’s like a fucking sailor already.”

“Of course she is,” Renee added. “She hangs out with  _ us _ .”

Renee had a point,  _ especially  _ since Cass spent the majority of her time with Harley.  _ Could be worse. _

“Alright.” Helena cleared her throat as their laughter died. “Dinah, do you want to start the car?”

“Sure. Cross your fingers.”

Dinah slid into the front seat, turning the key in the ignition. When the car sputtered to life, the whining noise was gone. That wasn’t to say the engine didn’t make a dozen other noises in its place, but the most offensive of them was gone. 

Dinah let the car idle, stepping out to find Helena leaning over the engine and listening. 

“Well?” Dinah asked, standing next to her.

“Should be okay.” Helena reached up and pulled the hood down. “We’ll let it run for a few minutes and see what happens.” 

Dinah nodded once. She hadn’t expected Helena to get this far, but so long as she didn’t have to call a tow truck, she had no reason to complain. 

“I want to drive it around a little,” Helena pressed a soft kiss to Dinah’s forehead. “Since it overheated, I need to make sure it’s not going to happen again.” 

“Okay.” Dinah flashed her a smile.  _ She’s worried _ . 

Harley snorted. “What happens when it dies around the corner?”

Dinah saw Helena sigh. “ _ Then _ I call the tow truck.”

When Helena began cleaning up the tools, Dinah set to work helping her. Renee began herding Harley and Cass toward her car. 

“You want me to follow you back to the base?” Renee offered. “That way if it goes south, you guys won’t have to wait.”

“Good idea.”

Dinah climbed into the passenger seat when Helena gave her a nod. It was odd, not driving her car, but so long as it was Helena she didn’t mind. 

Helena sat behind the wheel, waiting for everyone to climb into Renee’s car, smiling as the car idled. “It sounds okay. So long as we can make it back without overheating, we’ll be alright.”

The important thing to Dinah was how satisfied Helena seemed with her work. 

Leaning over, Dinah kissed Helena’s cheek. “I’ll have to  _ thank you _ later.”

Color rushed to Helena’s cheeks, and Dinah could see her grip tighten on the steering wheel. 

“Okay.” Helena cleared her throat. “I uh--I do want to get cleaned up and try to make it to the lounge tonight.”

“Really?” 

Dinah was surprised, considering how much time Helena had spent fixing her car.  _ She has to be tired _ . Helena pulled the car onto the street, glancing in the rearview mirror to see if Renee was following. Then, Helena nodded.

“Yeah. Even though things got a little...delayed. I mean, they’re open until three, right?”

“Three sounds right.” Dinah agreed. “Aren’t you tired?”

Helena shrugged one shoulder. “A little. But maybe I can find someone to talk to while I’m in there.”

* * *

_ “How’s it going, Bertinelli?” _

“Fine.”

It had been a week since she was here last, but the Iceberg Lounge was still as cold as Helena remembered it. Though she felt a little disarmed without Poison Ivy there to lead her around. 

Helena made her way to the bar, surprised that it wasn’t busier. Helena pulled herself onto a barstool and looked around. There was a bartender standing nearby, washing glasses. She was wearing a tight corset - not dissimilar from the swimsuits that the waitresses wore. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she had a tattoo covering her left arm, shoulder to elbow. From where Helena sat she couldn’t make out the details, but the tattoo was a mix of blues and greens, and she could make out the shape of a bird. 

A sideways glance brought her attention to Helena. “Need somethin’, sweetheart?”

“I don’t know yet.” Helena replied.

“Name’s Starling.” She looked over at Helena and winked. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

Helena nodded and looked around the bar.  _ Talk to her _ . Sighing, Helena decided to wait until there weren’t quite as many people around. Though she had a sinking feeling that might take a while. The next bartender wasn’t even within earshot, so unless Helena was willing to move around, she didn’t have another choice. 

Waiting turned out to be more difficult than she anticipated, as a string of people came too and from the bar ordering and collecting drinks. When a fight broke out between two men at the end of the bar, Helena spent a few minutes watching in amusement as the Penguin’s security guards rolled in and began trying to throw out half the crowd that had gathered around them. 

“You know, most people who sit at the bar eventually order drinks.”

The sound of someone speaking in front of her caused Helena to jump. She looked away from the remnants of the fight to find Starling smiling at her. 

“Oh, um, sure--.”

“Let me guess.” She looked Helena up and down, leaning on one arm. “Poison Ivy dumped you, huh?”

“What?” It clicked a moment later.  _ She must have seen me the last time I was here with Ivy.  _ “Oh yeah--it uh--it didn’t work out.”

“Don’t worry too much.” Starling grinned and winked at her. “With those looks it shouldn’t be hard for you to find someone else.”

Starling slid a drink across the bar, and Helena barely managed to catch it. It was a margarita, though not as brightly colored as the ones Harley enjoyed.

“This one’s on the house.” Starling said. “Looks like you need it.”

“Thank you.”

“You know,” Starling looked up to the balcony above them. Helena didn’t need to follow her gaze to know she was looking to where the Penguin would be seated on his sofa. “You’ve made quite the impression on the boss.”

“Oh?” Helena couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. “I didn’t think-.”

Starling laughed. “Keep coming around and you might end up with a job.”

_ “That’s what we want _ . _ ”  _ Renee spoke into Helena’s ear. 

Helena didn’t want to sound  _ too  _ eager. “I’m always looking for more work. You’ll have to let me know.”

Starling crossed her arms, giving Helena a thoughtful look. “What’s your name?”

“Helena.”

“Helena?” When Starling repeated it, her eyes lit up. “Well, I’ll put in a good word for you. How’s that sound?”

Starling held her hand out for Helena to shake. Hesitantly, Helena took it. Starling squeezed her hand tightly, leaning in to whisper.

“Between you and me, the boss will like you a lot more once he finds out Ivy dumped you. He can’t stand her.”

Nervously, Helena nodded. “I...picked up on that.”

Mostly Helena remembered how the Penguin had laughed in her face after threatening to shoot her.

_ Hopefully with Ivy out of the picture, that won’t happen again. _

Not that she wasn’t taking a risk, now. If Starling  _ did  _ speak to the Penguin, that would keep his attention on her.  _ Isn’t that what we want? _

“Come back in a few days,” Starling instructed when she released Helena’s hand. “I’ll let you know what he thinks.”

Helena nodded, watching as Starling left her alone to busy herself with work further down the bar. For the first time that night, Helena sighed and looked up. The spotlights overhead directed her to where the Penguin was perched on his balcony. It was hard to make out most of his features, but the glare of the lights on his monocle was unmistakable. Helena could see the faint trail of smoke from a cigarette wafting around his face. He never moved, but he didn’t need to. Helena could feel his eyes upon her, sending a rush of chills up her spine that splintered down her arms and through her finger tips. No matter where she went in the lounge, he would know. 

Helena forced herself to give him a wave, the best she could muster. Alone, she didn’t think she had the courage to walk upstairs again. But either way, the Iceberg Lounge was  _ his _ territory. She needed to remain polite.

After a moment, his head turned away from her, his attention drawn somewhere else. Helena took a deep breath and turned back toward the bar, her eyes falling upon the untouched margarita Starling had made for her.

_ I might need that drink after all. _

* * *

Dinah had never been good at waiting.

As soon as Helena had let her and Renee know that she was leaving the lounge and would be back at the base soon, Renee had packed up and gone home. Dinah couldn’t blame her. It had been a long day, after all, and they could always talk in the morning.

Helena had - stubbornly - insisted that Dinah could go ahead and go home. Dinah had refused, and when Renee left she found herself alone in the warehouse with nothing to do but wait.

If Dinah was being honest with herself, she  _ wanted _ to go home. But, more importantly, she wanted to see Helena. Dinah had spent far too much time with Oliver today. She was still annoyed, which was only being exacerbated by how tired she felt. Even if all they did was drive home and go to sleep, which is exactly what they’d be doing if the time on the clock was accurate, Dinah knew that Helena would make her feel better.

As soon as Dinah could hear Helena’s motorcycle pull up outside, she caught herself smiling. Helena came through the door, with all of the radio equipment she’d been wired down with in hand, and Dinah met her at the door with open arms. She heard the door latch shut as she folded herself into Helena, sighing when she felt Helena’s arms wrap tightly around her. Dinah closed her eyes, burying her face against Helena’s neck as all of the day’s frustrations began to slowly melt away.

A quiet chuckle came from Helena’s throat as she began rubbing Dinah’s back. “Hi.”

Dinah squeezed her, her fingers bunching up the fabric of Helena’s shirt.

“You didn’t have to wait on me,” Helena murmured. 

“I wanted to.”

Helena gave a soft hum in response, but it was the silence that followed that gave Dinah peace. There were no snide comments from Oliver, none of Harley’s shenanigans, or anything else to disturb her now. 

A yawn from Dinah a few moments later is all it took for Helena to pull away, but not without kissing Dinah’s forehead as she did so.

“Want to go home?” 

Dinah nodded.  _ Home _ sounded pretty nice. 

Fighting a yawn of her own, Helena laid all of the equipment down on a nearby table, taking care to at least coil it up neatly. It only took a few moments, then she was back at Dinah’s side, taking her by the hand and leading her outside. 

Dinah thought it was funny now, that Helena didn’t even give her motorcycle a second glance. Most days her motorcycle stayed parked by the base, as Helena had fallen into the habit of riding with Dinah in her car instead. Today was no different. 

The only discernible change was that this time, when the car started, Helena was smiling.

Dinah found herself reaching for Helena’s hand out of habit - not that Helena seemed to mind.

“Glad it still works.” Helena laughed, intertwining their fingers.

“For now.” 

Dinah was cautiously optimistic, but she’d had the car long enough to know that trouble usually came in waves. So if it was one thing today, it would only be something else tomorrow. 

“I’m...guessing you don’t want a new car.” Helena said quietly. “I heard you earlier when you were talking to Oliver.”

_ I don’t really want to think about Oliver right now _ . If she had a choice, Dinah would have preferred to ask about that bartender Helena had been talking to. Knowing Oliver, as soon as he found out about her, he’d be pushing Helena to go back to speak with her again. It was their first real connection to the Penguin, and they needed to make the most of it. 

Regardless, Dinah was mad at him, and Dinah didn’t want to talk about him, or Starling, or anything else. She wanted to go home, go to sleep, and start over tomorrow. Still,  _ Helena _ deserved an answer.

“No.” She started out simply. “I don’t. You don’t need to waste your money buying me any stupid shit - especially a car.” 

“Fair enough.”

There were times when she thought Oliver had more money than sense, and despite her frequent protests she’d often found herself showered with needless gifts.  _ I don’t think I’ll have that problem with Helena _ . So far, she hadn’t, though Helena was more interested in showing Dinah that she cared. 

“Helena.” Dinah took a deep breath, squeezing Helena’s hand. “This was my mom’s car.” It was one of the few things of hers that Dinah had kept, no matter how many times it broke down on her. “After she died, well...I’ve tried to keep it running.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Helena watching her, listening. “I know it’ll eventually die, but until then--.”

“Okay.” Helena’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “I’ll take care of it for you.”

Dinah hadn’t  _ asked  _ her to, and never would. Her car troubles had always been her own problem, never someone else’s. “You don’t have to do that, H.”

“I know.” There was a certainty in Helena’s voice that pushed all of Dinah’s worries out of her mind. “I want to.” Before Dinah could ask  _ why _ , Helena had already answered her. “Because it’s important to you.”

Dinah couldn’t resist teasing her. “Are you trying to spoil me or something?”

“No,” Helena replied slowly. “I just want--.” She stopped to sigh. “I don’t know. I just want to take care of you.”

Hearing it from Helena, said as if it was the simplest thing in the world, sent a rush of warmth through Dinah’s chest. With Helena there was no ulterior motive, no expectation of anything in return. 

Dinah waited until the first stoplight came to lean across to the other seat and pull Helena in for a kiss. It was quicker than Dinah might have liked, but anything more substantial would have to wait until they got home. It still took Helena off-guard, leaving her looking slightly dazed when Dinah pulled away. 

Settling back into her seat, Dinah smiled. “I think you’re doing a damn good job.”


	13. Two for the Show

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Oliver asked.

Helena stared down at her phone and tried to ignore him. A third visit to the Iceberg Lounge had gotten her Starling’s number - something that she hadn’t wanted to begin with. After an hour's worth of casual conversation over text, Starling had asked her out to dinner for a  _ date _ , and now Oliver was insisting that Helena went.

“I don’t  _ want  _ to go.” Helena told him. Again. 

_ If he would listen. _

Renee was standing nearby with her arms crossed. “I hate to say this, Bertinelli. But Oliver may have a point.”

_ Really? _

“I’m not going.” She was tired of pretending she was someone else just to appease Starling  _ and  _ the Penguin. She’d had enough.

Judging from the way Oliver rolled his eyes, he didn’t like her answer. “So now we’re going to waste  _ more  _ time because you won’t take one for the team.” He looked around the room, searching for something.

As it turns out, that  _ something  _ was Dinah. He said her name to get her attention. The last time Helena had seen her, Dinah had been pouring over the map marking all the EMP locations trying to see if there was a pattern.

“What, Oliver?” Dinah asked in an annoyed voice.

He gestured toward Helena. “Talk some sense into her.”

Looking back over her shoulder, Helena saw Dinah raise her eyebrow. When Dinah saw her, Helena smiled.

“You want me to tell her to go?” Dinah asked, to clarify. “Even though she said she doesn’t want to?”

“ _ Yes _ .” Oliver insisted.

Dinah’s eyes shifted from Helena to Oliver, then she began to laugh. “Okay.” She rolled her eyes and went back to the map. “Do what you want, H.”

“You’re not helping.”

Helena stood up and put her phone away. If they were only going to argue again, she wasn’t interested in sticking around. The sooner Oliver left, the better. That alone almost made going on the date worth it.

She stepped outside and made a beeline for Dinah’s car. She let herself in, reclining in the passenger seat and keeping the door propped open with her foot. Out here it was quiet, and she could  _ think _ .

Helena thought about taking her motorcycle and taking a lap around the city. It had been a while since she’d done so, and there was no telling what she might find. She needed to make those patrols a regular occurrence again. The fact that it would help her think was only an added bonus.

She reached for her phone, smiling when her lock screen lit up and she saw Dinah’s face.  _ I should text Starling and tell her no _ . The only thing that stopped her was that she didn’t want to start another conversation right now. Instead, Helena caught herself staring at the picture of Dinah. 

“There you are.”

Helena’s head snapped up, and she found Renee standing in front of her. 

“Dinah said you wouldn’t have gone far.”

“...Guess not.” 

A text notification lit up her phone, and Helena glanced down. It was from Dinah.

Renee sighed. “You really don’t want to go, huh?”

“They send you out here to convince me?” Helena asked.

“No. I came on my own.”

“Okay.”

Renee came closer, propping her arm against the car door. “Helena, if you go - since Starling  _ likes  _ you - it may finally get us to the Penguin. She did say he had a job for you, after all.”

“I know.”

“Here.” Renee held her hand out, holding the keys to Helena’s motorcycle in her hand. “Dinah said to bring you these.”

Helena took them slowly.  _ Looks like I’ll get to go for a ride after all.  _ Another text lit up her phone and caught Renee’s attention.

“I know we can’t make you,” Renee said. “But...I do think it’s a good idea.”

Renee was  _ right _ , but Helena didn’t like it. She  _ needed  _ to get closer to the Penguin, and though she wouldn’t admit it to Oliver - she didn’t want to waste anymore time either. 

Helena took a deep breath. “I’ll--I’ll go.” When Renee smiled, she continued. “But I  _ don’t  _ think it’ll go well.”

“Only one way to find out.” Renee shrugged her shoulder and pushed off the door. “Hurry back, kid.”

As Renee walked away, Helena unlocked her phone. She went straight to her text messages to see what Dinah needed.

“ _Do you want to pick up lunch when you come back?_ _\- None for Ollie. Just us. Maybe Renee too._ ”

Chuckling under her breath, Helena read the next one.

“ _ Be careful. See you soon. _ ”

Helena gripped her keys in her hand and stood up out of the car.  _ I need to text Starling back and ask about dinner. _ Deciding it could wait until she got back, Helena started toward her motorcycle.

She still had time to change her mind.

* * *

There was something satisfying about how bothered Oliver was by Harley’s presence. As annoying as Dinah sometimes found her, this was one of the exceptions. Once again, Harley had invited herself - and Cass - to the base, just in time for Helena to leave for her date. 

Cass had disappeared almost immediately upon their arrival, looking for something to get into. Dinah hoped they’d managed to hide anything dangerous or important, though that would only serve to delay Cass, not deter her. Harley had planted herself next to Renee, straddling a folding chair. To Dinah’s delight she had  _ tried  _ to sit next to Oliver, but when he caught on he stood up and chose to pace.

It wasn’t until Helena had left, quickly kissing Dinah’s cheek and ducking out the door before Oliver could offer her any more  _ advice _ , that Harley truly began tormenting him. 

The floor was littered with crumpled paper balls, and every thirty seconds or so Dinah could hear Harley rip another page out of the stolen notebook, wadding it up before launching it toward Oliver’s head. 

Oliver made a noise of complaint after the first one had hit him. “You’re annoying.”

“And?”

He caught the next one and threw it back at her. “Will you  _ stop _ ?”

“Nope.”

“She’ll run out of paper eventually.” Renee muttered from the radio.

“That’s not better.” Oliver complained. “Will one of you control her? Please?”

Dinah snorted. “No.” She looked at Harley, trying not to laugh. “You have to clean all these up, by the way. I’m not doing it.”

“Uh huh.” Harley wadded up another ball and threw it. “Do you want one? It’s fun.”

“I’d rather watch.” It was the closest thing to  _ permission _ Dinah was going to give Harley. It wasn’t hurting anything, and it was entertaining. “But you’re not getting anymore paper after this.”

Oliver shot Dinah a glare. “Only after she runs out, right?” He rolled his eyes. “Why do you  _ like  _ her?”

“Hey,” Harley said, allowing Dinah to ignore his question. “She  _ did  _ tell me I couldn’t throw knives.”

Renee looked over her shoulder. “I’d let you if you’d both shut up.”

Harley’s mouth stretched into a grin, showing all her teeth. 

“ _ No _ .” Dinah felt like she should say it again before Harley got any ideas. 

Harley shrugged. “I’ll just ask lovebird. They’re her knives.”

“She’s not here,” Dinah countered. “You’re not calling her either. No knives.”

The last thing Helena needed right now was to be worrying about whatever Harley was doing with her knives. Even if Dinah had her suspicions that Helena might be pressed to  _ encourage _ Harley’s antics - particularly with them directed at Oliver.

Worrying wouldn’t do her any good, at least not now.  _ Helena can handle herself, she doesn’t need us to distract her. _

Unfortunately knowing that Oliver would be present in Helena’s ear all night made things difficult. Dinah knew that Helena was already uncomfortable with the idea of the date in the first place. She had been careful not to tell Helena her opinion - which was that Helena shouldn’t go. Had she said anything, Helena would not have gone. Dinah knew that. If the plan worked, then she was glad. But this was still a decision that Helena had to make on her own. It was bad enough that Oliver had pressured her into it, Dinah wouldn’t add to that.

Ideally, so long as Helena didn’t blow her cover, they likely wouldn’t run into any issues. Dinah didn’t expect Starling to give up any information on the Penguin, especially under the pretenses of a date. A date, even with Starling, was virtually safe, Dinah told herself. Helena would be fine. Like Renee, Dinah had a feeling that if Starling  _ liked _ Helena, she might mention Helena to the Penguin more. That idea alone scared her, but Dinah tried not to think about it. The Penguin was a dangerous ally to have, especially under false pretenses. 

* * *

Helena did not want to be here. 

The thought went through her head several times as she walked down the sidewalk toward the restaurant she’d agreed to meet Starling at. 

A quick glance around her showed that Starling wasn’t even there yet. Helena had spent thirty minutes talking herself out of arriving  _ too  _ early. The plan was to keep this as short as possible. Or, at least, that was  _ her  _ plan. She hadn’t spoken to Renee or Dinah since she’d left the base, so she wasn’t sure who was currently manning the radio, though she had a sinking feeling that it would be Oliver. He was the one most invested in what she was currently doing. 

Sighing, Helena pulled her phone out. She had a text from Starling.

“ _ Just parked. On my way.” _

A pang of disappointment hit Helena. Starling could have cancelled instead, she would have liked that better. 

Putting her phone away Helena looked up and down the sidewalk in either direction. The longer she waited, the more uneasy she became. Something didn’t feel right, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. 

This feeling had lingered with her all day, and though she had been able to ignore it, it had never fully left her.

Starling’s arrival did nothing to improve this. Even as Helena saw her approaching, she made no move to meet her halfway. Helena kept her feet firmly planted on the sidewalk, only able to awkwardly watch as Starling drew closer.

“Hey,” Starling sounded slightly winded as she reached Helena. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Just got here.” Helena shrugged. It had only been a few minutes, and wasn’t really a big deal. 

Bracing herself against Helena’s arm and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Her touch caused the hairs on the back of Helena’s neck to stand on end, and Helena did her best not to move. Something brushed against her side a moment later, and when Starling took a step back Helena saw the back of Cass’ head. Cass was walking - quickly - away from them, shoving her hand into her pocket.

_ What is she doing? _

Helena  _ wanted _ to go after her, but realized she was staring.

“You okay?” Starling asked before glancing over her shoulder to see what Helena was looking at. By then, Cass was well out of reach and almost out of sight. 

_ “Jesus Christ, talk to her.” _ Oliver’s voice crackled in her ear.  _ “Tell her she looks nice.” _

“Yeah--fine.” Helena took a deep breath and gave Starling a quick up-and-down look. When her eyes came back to Starling’s face she realized she didn’t actually  _ know  _ what Starling was wearing. “You look--you look nice.”

_ “Smooth.”  _ Oliver was already annoyed and Helena didn’t care.  _ “Put your arm around her and go inside.” _

Helena knew he couldn’t  _ see _ her, but she still had to fight back a scowl at his instruction. “Do you, uh, do you want to go inside?”

“Of course,” Starling laughed and linked their arms together. Helena bristled at the touch but didn’t pull away. “I’m starving.”

The entire time they waited to be seated, Starling kept her hand on Helena’s arm. More than anything, she wanted to pull herself free and take at least one step to the side to create some distance. She had no desire to be any closer to Starling. Helena didn’t trust her - and did  _ not  _ want Starling to touch her. But one wrong move and she risked breaking the illusion that the others wanted her to so carefully create.

_ Maybe they should have had someone else do this. _

Relief came when they were finally seated, and Helena could look at the dinner menu instead of worrying about whatever Starling was doing with her hands.

“Have you been here before?” Starling asked.

Without looking, Helena shrugged. “No.” 

“Their chicken and rice soup is really good.”

That sounded as good as anything else. With a stomach full of knots, Helena didn’t have much of an appetite. 

Oliver started making comments in her ear, telling her to talk more, to act  _ interested _ . Acting was not one of Helena’s strengths, and she couldn’t really follow his instructions to the letter. Surprisingly, Starling didn’t seem to mind.

“Which family did you say you work for ?” Starling asked, glancing at Helena over the rim of her wine glass.

Helena hadn’t prepared for that question. Honestly, she hadn’t prepared for most of this. She had spent most of her energy wishing she didn’t have to. It was unlike her to not have a plan, and she hated it.

“Uh...I used to get a lot of work from the Galante family.” It was one of the easier choices.  _ Hope I don’t regret that _ .

“Ah.” Starling nodded. “I bet you’ve not had much to do since Don Galante got killed by the Crossbow Killer.” Helena’s mind was transported back to Galante’s bedroom, seconds before she’d shot him in the throat. “What did they say she was calling herself? Huntress?”

Helena’s whole body seized up. An argument started in her mind the split second the words left Starling’s mouth.  _ She doesn’t know _ . The gun she kept holstered to her side was a comforting weight, at the moment. She could get out. Getting out was the easy part.  _ But she doesn’t know _ . 

_ “Say something.” _ Oliver hissed.

“I think so.” Helena cleared her throat, reaching for her glass of water. As she drank, Starling’s leg brushed against hers under the table. 

_ “Change the subject.”  _ She was beginning to get tired of Oliver’s voice.  _ “Ask if she has plans after dinner.” _

Whatever she did after dinner was not Helena’s concern. 

Before Helena could think of something to say, Starling had continued without her. “So where is your family from?”

“Europe.” Helena had to think for a moment, to remember what lies she had already told. “Sicily.”

“Ooh. Did you get to visit?”

“Oh--uh...no.” Helena sighed. “I grew up there, actually.”

Starling arched a brow, but kept her features blank. “Really? You don’t have an accent.”

“I know.” When Helena hesitated, she saw Starling run her tongue across the front of her teeth. “Easier to--um--easier to blend in without it.”

Starling’s nod did little to ease Helena’s nerves. “Cute  _ and  _ smart.” She grinned and Helena tensed as Starling reached across the table to take her by the hand. “Maybe the boss was right about you after all.”

_ “Get her talking about herself before you blow your damn cover.” _

Oliver had a point, but Helena only drew a blank. She didn’t  _ want  _ to know anything about Starling. But she needed to think of something, and fast.

“Uh--sorry--how long have you been bartending?”

Oliver sighed, which didn’t help at all.  _ If I can just keep her talking, maybe I can get through this. _

* * *

The date was not going well.

Dinah hadn’t expected it to, but she hadn’t expected Helena to be so noticeably uncomfortable. She tried to tell herself that it was just  _ her _ , because Harley and Renee hadn’t seemed to even notice. But there was something in the tone of Helena’s voice, the way she hesitated before the words came out tumbling out, that put Dinah on edge.

_ We shouldn’t have let her go _ .

Oliver’s coaching was another problem. Not only was it not helping, but it actually seemed to be making things worse - even when Helena ignored him.

Dinah had paced until she couldn’t stand to listen anymore. For once, she understood why Helena always wanted to go  _ outside _ . 

Outside, she didn’t have to listen to how comfortable Oliver was giving Helena bad advice, which was only distracting her. She didn’t have to hear Helena pause every time Starling tried to ask a question - only because she had to concoct a new lie, or remember an old one. It was becoming too much - even for Helena.

Dinah was still pacing, but this time instead it was in circles around her car. She held a lit cigarette between her fingertips. Most of her time had been spent fidgeting with it as opposed to actually smoking it. There were more in her car, so she wasn’t worried about wasting it.

“I thought you quit.”

Dinah stopped in her tracks. She closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath.

“Not in the mood to talk, Oliver. Don’t leave Helena alone.”

Instead of going back inside, he only stepped closer. “What’s wrong now?” As if he didn’t know. “Renee can handle it for a while. I thought you trusted her.”

“Don’t.” Dinah’s temper flared. “Don’t you  _ dare  _ use that against me.”

Trust had nothing to do with this. With Helena, Dinah knew she had nothing to worry about. 

She tried to keep her voice down. The last thing she needed was Harley or Renee to hear her and come outside. “Unlike you, Helena doesn't want to cheat on me.  _ You  _ are the one I can’t trust--.”

‘Pretty bird’ was on the tip of his tongue. Dinah didn’t give him the chance to say it. She wasn’t finished. Even now, even when they  _ weren’t  _ together, she still couldn’t shake the twinge of suspicion every time his phone went off. “Because you know what -- I don’t worry about you anymore. I don’t have to think about who you’re with - what you’re doing.” She counted off on her fingers and stared at him. “I’m with someone who doesn’t lie to me, and doesn’t hide things from me. I’m not losing sleep wondering why I’m not good enough. And you’re in there coaching her or whatever the fuck it is you think you’re doing - you’re putting words in her mouth.” 

Helena wasn’t going to do anything that would intentionally hurt Dinah. She believed that, deep down. A few years ago, Dinah might have believed differently. But then again she’d never been with someone like Helena before.

“Dinah--.” Oliver tried again. 

“Stop.” Dinah took a step back, trying to create more distance. She clenched her fists at her side, her spent cigarette dropping to the pavement. “Just stop.”

“You’ve been acting differently, Dinah.”

_ So what? _

She couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling. “As if you even remember how I act to begin with. How many years has it been now?”

“Really?” He asked. The red color of his face told her she’d struck a nerve. “After everything we’ve been through--.”

“Doesn’t matter.” 

“How many times have I apologized?”

“You can say sorry as many times as you want. If you don’t actually  _ change _ , then it’s worthless.” He opened his mouth to argue, but she held her hand up to stop him. “Whatever lie you’re going to come up with - however you want to twist this. Let it go.” She hated that she had to say this. Again. “Why can’t you just let me be happy?”

“I’m just trying to understand.” Oliver replied. “What do you see in  _ her _ ?”

_ Everything. _

“That’s none of your business.” 

As far as Dinah was concerned, the conversation was now over. The longer she stayed outside, the more opportunity he had to lie to her. She’d wasted enough of her life listening to him.

Before the argument could worsen, Dinah took it upon herself to go back inside. Inside, she had the added benefit of Harley, an adequate buffer to dealing with Oliver. This time, if Harley asked, Dinah might let her have the knives. Either way, Oliver had disrupted Dinah’s peace enough. 

Inside, Harley had already found a knife on her own, and was painstakingly carving her name into a table. Dinah rolled her eyes, but couldn’t be bothered to actually stop her. The damage had already been done. 

Renee was where Dinah expected her. The only person that was missing, was Cass. The longer Dinah thought about it, she realized she hadn’t seen Cass since Helena had left the base in the first place. 

“Renee?” Dinah asked with a frown. “Have you seen Cass?”

“It's not my turn to watch her.”

Dinah turned on Harley. “What about you?”

Harley shrugged. 

“I can’t fucking believe this--.” The day was gradually getting worse as it went on. Dinah set to work searching immediately. “Cass!” Renee tried to shush her. “Helena can hear me too, I don’t give a damn. Cassandra!”

She checked all the usual places, but came up empty handed. Cass was nowhere to be found, and Dinah could barely remember the last time she’d seen her. 

_ She could be anywhere by now. I’ve got to find her. _

Tonight was not the night for Cass to be getting herself into trouble. Grabbing her keys, Dinah caught Renee’s attention.

“Where are you going--.” Renee started.

“She’s not here.” Dinah explained. “I’m going to go find her.”

“Call her or something.” Renee looked at Harley. “Do you know where she is?”

“Nope.” Harley shrugged again, not at all concerned. “I thought she was here.”

Dinah squeezed her car keys, the metal digging into the palm of her hand. “Which means she could be anywhere in Gotham and we have no idea.”

“I’m sure she couldn’t have gotten  _ that  _ far. She’s a kid.”

“Yeah,” Dinah nodded. “But she’s  _ Cass _ . I’ll be back.”

* * *

“We’ll have to do this again sometime.” 

Helena couldn’t bring herself to agree with the sentiment. She hadn’t wanted to go on the  _ first  _ date. Still, she was walking Starling to her car as a courtesy. 

“Sure.” Helena said it more to be polite than anything.  _ There’s still a chance Renee and Oliver make me do this again _ . 

“My car is just over here.” Starling came to a stop on the sidewalk, smiling at Helena. 

Helena broke her gaze when she saw movement over Starling’s shoulder. Climbing out of the driver’s seat of a parked car, she saw Cass. Panic set in when Cass looked up and saw her. They locked eyes for only a moment - then Helena forced her attention back to Starling.

_ I have to distract her _ .

“You okay?”

Helena swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, letting her eyes drop to Starling’s lips.

_ Cass better run. _

Against her better judgement, Helena tipped her head forward. As her lips met Starling’s, she brought her hand up to cup Starling’s cheek. She needed to keep Starling’s attention on her for a few moments longer. 

But this wasn’t Dinah, and Helena was far too stiff to be convincing. Or so she thought.

She took a step back and found Starling smiling at her. With a quick glance over Starling’s shoulder, she saw no sign of Cass.  _ Good enough _ . 

“Have a good night.” Helena said, wincing when her voice cracked. “I will, uh, I will text you?”

Starling laughed. “Sure.” She winked before turning her back on Helena. “I’ll see you later.”

Helena took a few steps backwards, but she waited until Starling was out of sight before she spun around and rushed to her motorcycle.  _ I have to catch Cass _ . 

Dinah was already looking for her, that was bad enough. 

“I know where Cass is.” Helena muttered, close to where the microphone was taped to her chest, hoping Renee would hear her. “I’ll bring her home.”

_ “You do?” _ Renee sounded surprised.  _ “I’ll call Dinah. Just get the kid and bring her back before she gets in trouble.” _

She was already  _ in  _ trouble, with Helena at least. 

She made one slow, deliberate lap around the block before she hit the main road heading back to the base. Two blocks away, she found Cass. 

Cass was doubled over, breathing heavily.  _ She must have ran here.  _ When Helena pulled up beside her, Cass looked over and waved. Helena parked the bike, taking her helmet off and holding it out to Cass. She hadn’t brought a spare, and hadn't expected  _ needing  _ one. 

Cass chewed on her lip nervously, slowly reaching out and taking the helmet from her. Helena wanted to say something, anything, but this wasn’t the time or place for a lecture. 

She waited until Cass had climbed on behind her, her arms wrapping tightly around Helena’s waist before she took off. 

_ “Are you on your way back?” _

“Yes.” 

Cass leaned her head against Helena’s back and Helena could hear her sigh.  _ I need to say something _ . Helena sped up instead. She wanted to go home. The key was to go as fast as she could, without scaring Cass in the process. 

A few minutes later, she heard Cass speak up.

“...Are you mad?”

Helena gave it some thought. She was mad at  _ herself _ , but she wasn’t mad at Cass.

“No.”

Cass hesitated. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Cass gave Helena a squeeze, then they fell into silence once more. Neither one of them said anything else, even as Helena pulled up to the warehouse. 

Helena let Cass climb off the motorcycle without a word, taking the helmet when Cass handed it back to her. She  _ wanted  _ to be angry, but she couldn’t bring herself to actually scold Cass. Since Cass had been gone long enough that Dinah went searching for her - that likely meant the scolding would come from someone else. The last thing Helena wanted was to add to that. She would find out what Cass was doing in Starling’s car later. 

The thought of Starling put a bad taste in Helena’s mouth. Convinced now that kissing her had absolutely been the wrong idea, Helena found herself going over all other possible alternatives.

Hurting her had been out of the question, since that would have surely earned her a permanent ban from the Iceberg Lounge.  _ Sure Oliver would have loved that _ . But Helena felt like an idiot not being able to think of  _ anything  _ else.

In telling Dinah, there was no alternative to be had. Helena would tell her - there was no question. Though she planned to leave the bit about Cass out. That was more problematic than Helena wanted it to be, but until she had a chance to talk to Cass herself, she didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Guilt wasn’t something Helena was used to feeling - especially when Dinah was involved. But she would tell her the truth, well, most of it. The rest would come later. She could only hope that Dinah wouldn’t be too upset.

Without Dinah  _ there _ to talk, Helena had no other choice but to wait. She didn’t want to go inside, she didn’t want to talk to Renee, or Harley, or especially Oliver. Helena only wanted to see Dinah, then go home. At home she could forget this had ever happened.

Not long after Cass had disappeared inside, Oliver emerged. Helena scowled at him as he sauntered in her direction, not appreciating the smirk on his face.

Helena refused to speak first. She slid off her motorcycle smoothly before placing the helmet on the seat. She would wait him out if it killed her.

“That was a spectacularly awful performance, crossbow.” Oliver said with an air of satisfaction. “Do you think you’ll get a second date?”

“I don’t care.”

She’d spent most of the evening trying to ignore his voice, and now every syllable from his lips grated against her nerves. She’d never met someone who loved the sound of their own voice as much as he did. 

Being inside with Renee and Harley was suddenly the better option. 

Unbothered by her answer, Oliver stepped in front of her when she tried to make her way inside. “Oh come on,” He flashed a smile that even Helena recognized as a fake. “For someone as awkward as you, this was a win, right?”

_ Ignore him. For Dinah. _

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Helena growled. “Move.”

“What’s the rush? I just wanted to see how your date went.”

“It went.” Helena grit her teeth, doing everything she could to avoid physically moving him out of her way. “I didn’t enjoy it.”

“That’s too bad.” He seemed genuinely disappointed. “Thought you might be looking for a backup plan.”

_ Why can’t he talk like a normal person? _

As she thought this, Helena realized she didn’t really  _ know  _ any people that she would consider ‘normal’. But no one else she knew talked like this either.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” She finally asked him.

“A backup.” He said again. “You know, for when Dinah drops you for something new.”

_ She’s not going to do that. _

“Dinah wouldn’t.” He was pushing his luck with her, he needed to get out of her way. “I don’t need a  _ backup.  _ She’s not like that.”

Once again, her attempt to go inside was thwarted by his endless sidestepping. “And how is she, exactly? Because we seem to know two different people.”

_ Perfect _ was the first word to come to mind - though it was too lofty, even for Dinah. Words wouldn’t lend themselves to Helena in a way that would appropriately show Oliver just exactly how Dinah treated her, or made her feel. Not that she would waste the breath on him, anyway.

When she didn’t answer, Oliver tried again. “Maybe you should reconsider. Otherwise you’re going to get your feelings hurt. You’re better off looking for someone who...suits you.” He finished the sentence by looking her up and down, as if this emphasized his point.

“Dinah is…” Helena sighed.  _ Why am I even telling him this? He doesn’t care.  _ “Dinah is everything I want. I don’t need  _ someone else _ .”

Helena was through with him. She made one last attempt to get by him without actually using force, but the sudden presence of his hand gripping her arm stopped her in her tracks.

“Oh my god, you’re in love with her aren’t you?” Even as she jerked her arm free, he started laughing. “You’re just a fling, at best. She only keeps you around to scratch an itch, crossbow.”

Helena saw red. Balling up her fist she swung at Oliver before he could say another word. Her knuckles collided with his nose, and the force of the blow sent him reeling backwards. As he fell back onto the pavement beneath them, Helena followed. 

There was an eruption of shouting and laughter that came from behind her, but it was indistinct and irrelevant. She knelt between Oliver’s legs, her next blow catching the side of his head. Anger coursed through her body as she continued swinging. She wanted him to feel it.

_ He’s wrong. He’s wrong. He’s wrong. _

Helena hit him until her knuckles ached. There was no planning, no strategic placement of blows, it was all unleashed on him in an uncontrolled fury.

Something wrapped around her waist as she continued to lay into him. Strings of curse words flew from her mouth, but Helena didn’t stop. Not until the grip around her waist tightened and she was dragged backwards onto her feet. Helena fought against it, but gradually there was space made between her and where Oliver lay on the ground, clutching his face.

Suddenly, there was Harley. She popped up in front of Helena without warning, her eyes wide. Her mouth was moving, but Helena couldn’t focus on what she was saying. There was too much noise coming from behind her. The grip on her waist was still tight, and it took her a moment to recognize the voice of Renee against her back.

Harley was still talking. She reached up - only to hesitate before her hand touched Helena’s face. Instead, after a pause, both her hands came to rest on Helena’s shoulders and she gave Helena a firm push backwards. As she did so, Renee, who had locked her arms around Helena’s torso stepped in tandem. Slowly, the pair of them worked together to back Helena away from Oliver.

Helena tried to breathe, to concentrate, to do anything she could to fight the urge to knock Harley to the side and go tearing back into him. He deserved it. She only wished she’d done so sooner.

But now Harley was the only thing she could see. Harley had stepped closer, or as close as she dared, keeping herself in the forefront of Helena’s vision.

Slowly, Helena began to make out what she was saying.

“Don’t move, Queenie.” Harley’s voice was soft, her calm tone something Helena wasn’t used to. Helena tried to focus on the words. She sounded far away, as if she wasn’t actually there at all. “God help us if ya do.”

_ Oliver. _

Remembering what he had just said, Helena lunged forward, trying to free herself from Renee’s grasp. She didn’t get far - Harley, who was still trying to talk, was pushing against Helena with all she had. In the end, they moved a few inches closer to Oliver but not much else.

“Fucking Christ, Harley!” Renee shouted. “Do something—.”

“Shhh.” Helena couldn’t tell who Harley was speaking to anymore. “Stop yelling.” Renee grew quiet behind her, and Helena could now hear her heart pounding against her ears. “Easy, lovebird. Don’t hurt him.”

Helena very much wanted to  _ hurt  _ him. That seemed to be the only way to shut him up. Why couldn’t Harley, of all people, understand that?

Harley stopped talking. Helena took a deep breath, looking over Harley’s shoulder. Oliver was still laying there. The fire inside her flared again when Helena saw him. All rational thought was gone. She wanted to break his jaw - maybe he’d talk less.

Renee and Harley were on her again before she could get far. Bright lights washed over them for a moment, but Helena paid them little mind. 

She just wanted to get loose. She  _ really  _ wanted to break Oliver’s jaw. No amount of talking from Harley was going to take that away.

“Helena?” It took a second for her to process that she’d heard her name at all. “Guys?”

_ Dinah. _

Helena felt like she’d had the breath knocked out of her. Then Dinah was  _ there _ at her side, close to Harley. She looked worried.

Helena’s chest burned as she struggled to control her breathing. She took another deep breath, trying her best to count to four - or the next closest number - and as she did her best to concentrate she began to feel herself calming down. A moment later her shoulders went limp, and she unclenched her fists. 

It was only then that Harley took a step back, allowing Helena to focus - only on Dinah.

* * *

“What the fuck just happened?”

This had been one hell of a scene to come upon. With Oliver, bleeding on the ground, Renee, arms locked around Helena’s waist and holding on for dear life, and Harley who stood in front of Helena, pushing against her shoulders. But it was Helena, who was breathing heavily and being  _ restrained _ , that scared Dinah the most. Something had happened, though if Dinah had to guess, it was likely because Oliver had finally said the wrong thing.

“Oh you know,” Harley said flippantly. “It’s fine. Probably.”

“Helena,” Dinah took a step closer, ignoring Harley. “What happened?”

Helena had already begun to relax, but when Dinah said her name it was like a switch had flipped. Her features softened, the anger left her eyes, and as the tension left her shoulders she took a step back. Renee, however, was still holding onto her.

“You can let her go, Renee.” Dinah told her.

She was met with dry laughter. “We had to fuckin’ pull her off him, Dinah. You think I’m gonna let her go?”

“Let her go.” Dinah repeated. Helena didn’t seem quite as angry, now. 

Reluctantly, Renee released her. Helena straightened and cast a glance in Oliver’s direction.

“You alright, Ollie?” Dinah asked, more as an afterthought.

“Oh yeah,” He groaned. “Doing great down here.”

“Maybe you should take her home.” Harley suggested. “We’ll clean Queenie up.”

“Good idea.” Renee agreed.

“But Cass--.”

“Cass can wait until tomorrow.” Renee finished. “Get Helena out of here.”

Helena was already walking toward the car. Dinah looked at Renee and sighed. All she got in return was Renee jerking her head toward the car, telling Dinah to go on. 

Dinah relented. It would be easier to find out what happened from Helena once she calmed down. By the time Dinah made it back to the car, Helena was already slumped in the first seat, staring out the window.

Helena muttered an apology as Dinah started the car, but had nothing else to say. 

Dinah waited a few minutes to see if Helena would continue on her own. When she didn’t, Dinah decided to ask.

“What did he say?” Glancing to her right, Dinah saw Helena resting her head against the window. 

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Helena you broke his nose and then some.” Dinah knew he likely  _ deserved  _ it, but still. “I’m definitely worrying about it.”

_ He had to have said something _ .

Helena’s fists were clenched in her lap, her jaw set. “Oh my god, you’re in love with her aren’t you?” Helena spoke in a mocking tone, imitating Oliver. “You’re just a fling, at best. She only keeps you around to scratch an itch, crossbow.”

Dinah knew Helena was telling the truth, because she could hear Oliver saying it in her mind. 

_ Fucking Oliver _ .

“Helena.”

“I know.”

Dinah gripped the steering wheel. “You aren’t a  _ fling _ .” She did her best to not get angry, it wasn’t Helena’s fault that Oliver was acting like an ass.

“I know.” Helena said again.

“Hey, look at me.” With a huff, Dinah saw Helena’s head turn. “You're not. Don't let him make you think you are.” Dinah reached over and took Helena by the hand. She gave Helena’s hand a squeeze before lifting it to her lips and kissing Helena’s knuckles, now discolored from where she’d hit Oliver. “He doesn't even hold a candle to how I feel about you - and that damn sure isn't what a fling feels like.”

“...I know.”

_ Do you, though? _

“You are so kind, Helena. You are always thinking about me, or even Harley, and Cass.” It was hard to explain how much that  _ meant  _ to her. Helena was always trying to take care of her - and everyone else. It brought Dinah more comfort than she could explain. Not to mention how Helena always seemed to know what Dinah needed before she herself knew. It was pure selflessness.There was no motive, no expectations, only  _ love _ . “No one has ever cared about me like this before. Even Ollie.”

Helena looked away again and sighed. Her breath fogged up the window. “I kissed Starling.”

“Alright.” They’d gone on a date only at Oliver and Renee’s insistence, Dinah had honestly expected it. Then she saw Helena’s jaw tighten.  _ Oh _ . “Helena, it’s okay.” 

“I just…” Helena took a deep breath. “I just don’t want you to think that I would normally do that.” 

“I don’t.”

“I’m not--I’m not like  _ him _ .”

Dinah sighed. “Helena, you actually  _ care  _ about how your actions affect me.” The fact that Helena had even  _ told  _ her she kissed Starling told Dinah far more than Helena could know. She didn’t want to have to say this. “With Oliver...sleeping with his secretary was one of the final straws.” Truthfully, there had been other women involved, some Dinah knew for sure, and some she only suspected. She’d finally learned her lesson. “Everything he said to you--it’s just him being petty.” Whether saying it would help or not, Dinah didn’t know. 

“I didn’t hit him hard enough.”

Dinah bit her lip to keep from smiling. It had been hard enough not to tell Oliver ‘I told you so’.  _ Tried to tell him this would happen. _

“You’re not going back out with her again, are you?”

“Absolutely not.” Helena growled.

Dinah let out a chuckle. “Then we’re fine.” It wasn’t like Helena had much of a choice. “I know you didn’t want to go. I’m sorry we talked you into it.” 

“I shouldn’t have gone.” Helena admitted. “It’s not like it got us anywhere.”

* * *

Helena’s hands were shaking as she cut the bathroom light on. Glancing in the mirror, Helena was met by her own reflection - complete with a pale face and sunken eyes. Her disheveled clothes were of no consequence, she simply yanked them off and tossed them to the side. They could be dealt with later.

Wobbly legs carried her into the shower, and Helena used one hand to brace herself against the wall. When she reached for the handle to turn the water on, she saw the blood. Oliver’s blood had soaked her knuckles and spread down to her fingertips.

Clenching her eyes shut, Helena let her forehead drop so that she was leaning against the wall fully. She pulled a shaky breath into her lungs and turned the water on. A shock of cold water struck her back and caused her to flinch. The chill ran down her back in a wave, and she barely had time to shiver before the water began to heat up.

_ I shouldn’t have attacked him. _

It wasn’t the action that upset her, she just hated that she had lost control. Helena felt as if she didn’t have control over most things these days, but her temper was something she wanted to keep to herself.

_ I thought I was doing better. So much for that. _

She should have never let Oliver under her skin. The only thing that eased the weight she felt on her shoulders was that Dinah seemed unbothered.

_ She said we were fine. Maybe she saw this coming. _

That was the best case scenario, she thought. Lifting her head, Helena stepped back just enough to begin rinsing her hair.

_ Am I that predictable? _

Oliver’s voice was still echoing in her head.  _ “You’re in love with her, aren't you?”  _ Helena hadn’t even considered it until it had been said. The feeling had been there for a long time, but she’d never bothered to put words to it.

It was an easy thing to ignore - or had been. Dinah was bound to know, now. Neither of them had talked about it before, and some part of Helena was afraid that maybe Dinah didn’t feel the same.

_ I need to tell her.  _ This only led to more problems. If Helena told her now Dinah might think it was a roundabout way of making up for what she did to Oliver. Now wasn’t the time to be afraid. She  _ did  _ love Dinah. There would be no denying that unless they need more time.

_ Sorry I assaulted the guy you almost married, I love you.  _

It sounded even stupider the more Helena thought about it. There was no way she would let it come out like that. Thinking about it in this state would only make the stupid ideas quickly spiral out of control.

_ Stop it. _

Helena wanted to concentrate on the water instead. It was hotter than she could usually stand, but there was relief brought into the way it hammered against her skin. It wasn’t easy to force her mind off the subject this time, but these days her mind seldom left Dinah.

The bathroom door eased open with a barely audible click. Opening her eyes, Helena looked down at the floor of the shower and waited. Dinah said nothing, but Helena could hear her quietly shuffling around the bathroom.

_ Do I say something? Does she need anything? _

While Helena mulled it over, the door reopened and shut again. Dinah was gone.

_ Fucked that up. She’s probably waiting on me. _

Helena wanted to talk to Dinah, but didn’t want to risk making things worse. Dinah had said things were  _ fine,  _ but Helena knew that could quickly change. She’d already ruined lots of things today. But above all, she wanted to go outside, to be alone, to  _ think.  _ This would help her get her control back. It had to.

_ Hopefully Dinah understands. _

That would be the key to everything.

Helena grabbed the soap and chanced another look at her hands. She hated blood. The water had already begun to wash it away and it was discolored with a pink tint as it dripped from her fingers.

Using the soap, she began scrubbing it away. Soon her hands were covered in frothy white foam, but she continued to work it into her skin. 

Helena scrubbed until her hands burned, and when she finally finished the soap rinsed away her hands were left bright red and raw. But Helena could still feel the blood.

_ Don’t think about it. _

That was easier said than done, and it took everything in her to cut the water off instead of washing her hands again. Stepping out of the shower she grabbed her towel, and couldn’t tell if she felt better or not. Her hands were still trembling, which made the process of drying off more difficult than it should have been. 

As she struggled needlessly with the towel, she noticed that some clean clothes had been left for her on the counter. 

_ Dinah must have brought them for me. _

Helena’s mood was bad enough that she didn’t  _ want  _ to smile, but couldn’t resist. For the briefest of moments it didn’t matter what Oliver thought or said. Dinah was  _ everything,  _ and Helena loved her.

* * *

Helena was hiding on the fire escape again. Well, it  _ felt _ like she was hiding. Dinah knew she only went out there when she wanted to be alone. Actually knowing that Helena  _ was  _ upset made it even harder to not immediately follow her outside. 

But after twenty minutes, Dinah couldn’t wait any longer.

Helena had left the window open, and Dinah found her seated on her usual step, leaning against the railing. 

Her head lifted as Dinah climbed through the window to join her, but she gave Dinah a glance and nothing more. 

“Hey,” Dinah said softly. ‘Do you want to talk?’ was on the tip of her tongue, but she knew the answer before she even asked. Helena hadn’t said a word to her since they’d left the car. Normally, Dinah wouldn’t be too bothered by the silence. But she knew this time was different.

Instead of pressing her to talk, Dinah stepped in front of Helena and opened her arms in invitation. There was some hesitation, but Helena eventually leaned forward and rested her head against Dinah’s chest. When Helena finally lifted her arms to wrap around Dinah’s waist, her hands were shaking.

Dinah sighed, cradling Helena’s head against her chest. She stroked Helena’s hair softly with the hopes that it would bring her some comfort. While Dinah waited, she tried her best to think of something - anything else - that she could do. As far as words were concerned, Dinah had already exhausted them. 

She let her fingers massage Helena’s scalp, feeling Helena’s arms tighten around her.  _ There has to be something else _ . Dinah’s mind ran over the conversation again. There must have been something she missed, a base left uncovered. 

_ Did Ollie say something else? _

They’d talked about Starling, about the date, and they had talked about how despite Oliver’s insistence,  _ this  _ was not a fling. What could she have missed? 

“Helena?” When she received a huff in response, she pressed on. “Tell me what’s going on.”

_ I just want to understand. _

“He’s not wrong.” Helena whispered.

“Of course he is.” Dinah insisted.  _ We’ve been over this _ . 

Helena took a deep breath, lifting her head off Dinah’s chest and looking up at her. The edges of Helena’s brown eyes were now red, and still wet with tears. Dinah hadn’t realized she’d been crying.

Dinah took Helena’s face in her hands, brushing away the tears with the pad of her thumb. “Baby, he is wrong about  _ everything _ .”

Helena didn’t pull away, but she did shake her head. Dinah started to lean in, wanting only to kiss Helena’s forehead, but something stopped her. The lightbulb inside her mind flashed as she looked down at Helena’s face.

“Do you love me?”

Oliver had asked her that, after all.  _ I don’t know how I missed that _ .

Helena’s gaze dropped to the floor. With trembling fingers she pulled Dinah’s hands away from her face. Dinah fought a sigh, allowing her hands to drop.

“Helena, please.” The last thing Dinah wanted was for Helena to shut down now. “Talk to me.”

Helena drew a shaky breath. Still, she sought out Dinah’s touch, reaching for her hands. Dinah didn’t try asking again. Dinah  _ felt  _ like she knew the answer, but the only way to know for sure would be to hear it from Helena herself. 

After a few minutes, Helena’s whisper broke the silence. “What do you think?”

Dinah pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and chewed on it for a moment. It was a way of avoiding the question entirely, which wasn’t what she was used to coming from Helena. 

Dinah wasn’t afraid of the truth, but for whatever reason Helena didn’t want to give it to her. But tonight, that was probably the best answer she was going to get. 

She smoothed Helena’s hair, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

_ I’ll try again later. _

“I don’t know, H.” At this point, Dinah only wanted to distract her.  _ Maybe that will help _ . “But I’d like to find out.”

Helena sighed. “Maybe...maybe we should go inside.”

* * *

_ I love you. _

Helena hadn’t said it. She should have. But it didn’t matter. Dinah knew.

_ She has to _ .

Dinah moaned against her ear, pulling Helena from her thoughts. She had gotten distracted again. 

_ I hate being like this _ . 

It wasn’t meant to be like this. With Dinah naked beneath her, hips grinding into Helena’s hand desperate for more, the last thing Helena wanted to think of was Oliver - or anyone else. Yet despite Helena’s best efforts, his words were still reverberating in her head.

_ “She only keeps you around to scratch an itch.” _

That wasn’t true. Dinah had told her as much.

_ So why am I still thinking about it? _

Oliver was wrong. He had to be. Even if he wasn’t, well, that didn’t change how Helena felt.

Her eyes dropped to Dinah’s neck. Dinah was still wearing Oliver’s stupid ring, dangling from the necklace she kept it on. But Helena didn’t want to think about Oliver anymore. That wasn’t the only thing on Dinah’s neck, however. Usually, Helena made an effort not to leave a mark, but tonight had been the exception. Helena could practically follow the trail her mouth had made down Dinah’s body, her skin now decorated with red and purple blemishes that would only darken by morning.

_ Not that Dinah seems to mind _ .

For the most part, most of the bruises would be concealed by Dinah’s clothing anyway. There was a particularly large one on the inside of Dinah’s thigh that Helena was especially proud of, and was subsequently one of the easiest to hide. 

Honestly, Helena was glad Dinah hadn’t even seemed to notice she was distracted. Either that, or she was choosing to ignore it. Dinah’s fingers tangled in her hair, tugging until Helena looked at her. Dinah’s eyes, dark with lust, took Helena’s breath away. 

_ She’s so beautiful. _

“Helena,” Her name left Dinah’s lips as a breathy sigh. “ _ Please _ .”

Helena curled her fingers upward, letting the whimpers and moans escaping Dinah fill her head. Dinah’s hips arched off the bed as she impatiently tried to to coax Helena to give her more. Her nails raked down Helena’s arm, even as she tilted her head back to give Helena more access to her neck. Helena chuckled to herself, peppering kisses across Dinah’s exposed throat. 

A bead of sweat rolled off the tip of her nose as she slowly made her way down Dinah’s neck, traveling gently over all the marks she would apologize for later. Dinah was  _ so close _ . As Helena nipped at her collarbone, the grip Dinah had on her arm only tightened.

“Oh my God.” Dinah panted.“Helena--.” 

As her name left Dinah’s lips it turned into a scream that only grew louder and shriller. When it turned into a full-blown Canary cry, the pressure around Helena increased so rapidly she thought her head would explode. She slumped forward, her full weight collapsing on top of Dinah. The edges of her vision began to turn black and she sank her teeth into Dinah’s shoulder as she tried in vain to brace herself. 

She waited until the pressure began to dissipate before she dared to lift her head up. Helena licked her lips, met with the metallic taste of blood.

There was a heavy silence that accompanied the pain - though only for a moment - it was quickly replaced by a loud ringing in her ears. Helena clenched her eyes shut and tried to focus on breathing. She managed to push herself off of Dinah, limply rolling onto her back. When she opened her eyes again and looked up at the ceiling, the edges of her vision were still a little blurry. 

_ Holy shit _ .

The ringing in her ears showed no signs of improving. Fingertips brushed against her cheek, and Helena leaned into the touch, turning her head to see Dinah looking at her. Dinah, who could barely keep her eyes open. She was saying something - or trying to. Though her lips were moving, Helena couldn’t hear her. 

Finally, Helena made out the question: are you okay?

There was a throbbing in her ears, accompanying the ringing, and she couldn’t hear - but Helena still nodded.

_ I’m sure it’ll go away. Hopefully. _

Dinah’s hand went limp, her arm ending up draped lazily across Helena’s chest. Her eyes had closed, her breathing now deep and slow. Falling asleep that quickly was something Helena would normally be envious of. Tonight however, was a different story.

Tentatively, Helena lifted her hands to her ears, checking for blood. When there was none, she was relieved. That hopefully meant that, if she was lucky, any damage done wasn’t permanent. 

Helena turned onto her side, trying to ignore the pain in her ears as she wrapped an arm around Dinah and pulled her close. It was too late to worry about her ears now - and hopefully it would have resolved itself by morning. The only thing she could really do is find some painkillers, and even then Helena was skeptical that it would help. 

She could, however, wait it out. Curled up in bed beside Dinah was one of the best places to do that, all things considered. Even if she didn’t get much rest, it would give Helena plenty of time to think.

* * *

The barking dog outside was getting on Dinah’s last nerve. She’d held onto sleep as long as possible, trying her best to ignore it. Opening her eyes she found nothing but the darkness of their bedroom. It was still late, which was good. 

Dinah reached out for Helena in the dark. Helena wasn’t far away, and the weight of the arm she had wrapped around Dinah was a comforting presence. 

She began absentmindedly rubbing Helena’s arm with her hand. It didn’t take long after Dinah did this for Helena to shift onto her side and pull Dinah closer.

Dinah couldn’t help but smile when she felt Helena’s head come to rest on her shoulder. She leaned her head against Helena’s and yawned.

“I love you.”

If it weren’t for the incessant barking, Dinah might have fallen back asleep. This wasn’t the first time Dinah had heard a stray dog while living here. But, this  _ was _ the loudest it had ever been. She wasn’t sure how late it was, not really, only that it was dark. She still felt a little groggy, but that feeling was fading with every passing second.

When the breeze came through the window and brought the cool night air across her skin, Dinah frowned.

_ When did we open the window? _

It took her a few moments of thinking about it for realization to strike her. They  _ hadn’t  _ opened the window.  _ My cry must have broken it.  _ There was only one way to find out for sure, and it didn’t seem like she was going back to sleep any time soon.

Regardless, Dinah waited a few minutes before she forced herself to gently escape Helena’s embrace. She grabbed her phone as she stood up, intent on using it as a flashlight. Dinah wanted to avoid waking Helena if she could, but the last thing she needed was to be stumbling around in the dark.

As she rounded the corner of the bed, Dinah thought about getting dressed. If she  _ did _ have to cut the lights on, she didn’t want any late night passerby to catch an eyeful. But this late at night, she didn’t really care - and if someone managed to see her from as high their apartment was, then they could eat their heart out.

Just as Dinah has expected, there were shards of glass in the floor beneath the window. Pulling the blinds up, she found more glass on the windowsill, though the windowpane itself was now empty save for a few resilient pieces around the edges.

There would be no fixing that tonight. The most pressing issue for Dinah was that she needed to sweep the glass up  _ now _ \- she didn’t want Helena to accidentally end up with glass in her foot. The blinds would continue to serve their purpose, and she had plans to hang a blanket over the window too. That would at least block the air a tolerable amount until they could get the window fixed.

Dinah headed into the kitchen to grab the broom, stepping as quietly as she could to avoid waking Helena. The quicker she got things cleaned up, the better. As soon as Dinah retrieved the broom from the pantry, a light came on in the bedroom.

_ Shit. _ That was a tell-tale sign that Helena has woken up. Broom in hand, Dinah hurried back to the bedroom before Helena could come looking for her.

Stepping through the bedroom door. Dinah found the lamp on the bedside table had been cut on, and Helena was lazily stretched out on the bed.

“Sorry,” Dinah laughed when Helena squinted at her. “I— _ we _ broke the window.”

As Dinah spoke, Helena’s squint quickly turned into a frown.

“Helena? Is something wrong?”

Instead of answering, Helena sat up on the bed and began snapping her fingers next to her ear.

“Helena?”

After a moment, Helena looked at her again, this time visibly confused.

“What?”

“I can’t hear you.” Helena nearly shouted.

_ Uh oh. _ Dinah hadn’t even considered the effect the cry would have had that close to Helena.

“Oh  _ shit. _ ”

This had been the first time she’d lost control of her voice in the bedroom. Dinah’s mind began racing. It had been at  _ least  _ an hour or two since, surely by now the effects would have worn off. Now Dinah wasn’t sure what to expect. Dropping the broom, Dinah climbed across the bed and took Helena’s face into her hands.

“Oh my God.” Dinah peppered Helena’s face with kisses. “I am  _ so _ sorry...and you still can’t hear me.” Helena was clearly unbothered by this, merely smiling up at Dinah, still confused. “Here.” Dinah made a grab for Helena’s phone which lay on the nightstand. She could, at the very least text her. As she passed the phone over she finally got a glimpse of the time, mentally cursing herself when she saw it was well past four. Helena’s confusion only worsened as Dinah dropped the phone into her lap, only understanding once Dinah had gestured toward her own.

“ _ Can you hear anything at all?” _

Helena’s response was quick. “ _ No. Just ringing. _ ” Dinah frowned when the next message came through. “ _ How long is this supposed to last? _ ”

She didn’t know. When she shrugged, Helena’s eyes went wide. 

“ _ Never happened to someone that close to me before. _ ” Truth be told, Dinah had no idea if it would wear off at all. As far back as she could remember, this had never happened before - at least not like  _ this _ . 

“ _ Never? _ ”

“ _ Not during sex, no. _ ” When Helena read her message, a self-satisfied smirk spread across her face. Dinah rolled her eyes. “ _ How bad did it hurt? _ ”

_ “Pretty bad. I haven’t slept.” _

A pang of guilt struck her.  _ “I’m sorry.” _

Helena shrugged in response before she returned to her phone.  _ “What were you doing?” _

It was then that Dinah remembered the broom. Putting her phone away without an answer, she slid off the bed and picked the broom out of the floor and returned to the task she had neglected.

She swept the area twice, just to be safe. Once she had swept it all into the dust pan to be thrown away, she straightened up and realized Helena was watching her from where she sat on the edge of the bed. The smug grin on Helena’s face told Dinah that the broken window needed no explanation.

_ She’s enjoying this too much. _

Rolling her eyes, Dinah pushed the broom and dust pan into Helena’s hands and motioned for her to take them into the kitchen. After sending her off, Dinah began rummaging through the closet for a blanket suitable for covering the window.

She settled on the first one she found, a red fleece blanket dotted with snowflakes that was all together too Christmas-y for her liking. But it would serve its purpose here one way or another.

By the time Helena made it back to the bedroom, Dinah had pulled the blinds closed and was pinning the blanket over the top of them. 

As soon as Dinah was finished, she felt Helena’s arms wrap around her waist. Smiling, she allowed herself to lean back into the embrace. 

Once Dinah closed her eyes, there was no telling how long they stood together like this. But eventually, Helena lifted one hand up and tried to brush Dinah’s hair away from her neck and shoulder. 

She would have been successful, had it not been for her hand getting caught on the necklace Dinah was wearing. As Helena fumbled and tried to free herself from the chain, Dinah felt Oliver’s ring sliding against her skin. 

_ I thought I took that off. _

She should have, she knew that. Dinah didn’t want to wear it anymore. It didn’t help that she kept forgetting it, but she remembered  _ now. _

Finally freeing herself, Helena took a step away from Dinah. Helena had no doubt realized  _ what  _ she was caught on. As soon as she heard Helena sigh, Dinah made up her mind.

Dinah turned around before Helena could create too much space between them, her hands already reaching up to undo the clasp of the necklace.

Once the necklace was undone and free of her neck, Dinah balled the chain up ring and all, before reaching for Helena’s hand.

The hurt in Helena’s eyes turned to confusion as Dinah pressed the necklace into her palm. Oliver wouldn’t take it back - and Dinah wasn’t about to have that argument with him again. She didn’t  _ want _ it anymore, especially if it was only going to cause Helena pain.

After a pause, Helena tried to give it back. Dinah held her ground, even as Helena tried to pass the ring back over to her. That was the last thing she wanted. Carefully, she folded Helena’s fingers around the necklace and gave her hand a squeeze. Helena could do whatever she wanted with it now. Dinah no longer cared. As far as she was concerned, it didn’t belong to her anymore.

She could only hope Helena understood.

Dinah had no idea what she actually expected Helena to do with it. Not that it mattered. But after giving it a few moments of thought, she leaned over and kissed Dinah’s forehead. After that she turned around and walked to the dresser, where Dinah’s jewelry box sat on top. Carefully, Helena tucked the necklace and ring in the bottom of the box, closing it up and out of sight.

Turning around when she was finished, Helena smiled.

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” Crossing the distance between them, Dinah draped her arms over Helena’s shoulders and returned her smile. “Let’s try not to make a habit out of this, hmm?”

She knew at this point she was only talking to herself, but that was okay. Helena’s only response - a yawn - reminded Dinah how late it was.

_ We need to go back to bed soon. _

Truth be told, they’d had a long day - Helena especially. Dinah had a feeling that tomorrow would be just as long, but there was no way it could be  _ worse. _ Still, she could enjoy this.

She smoothed a strand of hair away from Helena’s face before she let her arms drop from her shoulders. Then, with a yawn, she took Helena by the hand and nudged her toward the bed. They weren’t going to get any sleep standing around like this.

It took little coaxing to get Helena back into bed. Within seconds, she had gotten herself comfortable and all but disappeared under the blankets. Dinah couldn’t help but laugh, especially as Helena peered tiredly at her from where she lay, waiting for Dinah to turn out the light. Reaching over to the nightstand, Dinah was happy to oblige her.

When the room was washed in darkness once more, Dinah finally laid down on her side and stretched contentedly. Everything was quiet now, even the dog was gone. Dinah took immense pleasure from this new silence.

It didn’t take long for Helena to reach for her. Just her hand, feeling around blindly until she found Dinah’s own. 

When their fingers intertwined, Dinah gave Helena’s hand a squeeze. A moment later, she found herself scooting closer, until her back came to rest against Helena’s body. 

A sigh of relief came from Helena’s side of the bed as she wrapped her arms around Dinah and pulled her close.  _ She must be worried.  _ For a light sleeper like Helena, it was probably a little disorienting to not be able to hear every bump and creak in the night.

Hopefully by morning, the effects of the cry would wear off and it would no longer be a problem. Until then, Dinah wanted Helena to know without question that she was not alone - and she was  _ safe. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So these chapters are getting kind of long, as a result, next week's chapter will be posted next-Saturday. Hope you're enjoying!


	14. Blowing Up

The ringing in her ears wasn’t so loud now. Helena would accept the small improvement, at least the pain had gone away. She readjusted herself a little, laying her head down on Dinah’s chest.

Helena felt safe, lying in bed with Dinah like this. It was for Helena’s own selfish comfort, more than anything. They were safe together in their apartment - she knew that.

The open window, even though Dinah had covered it with a blanket, was a different story. Helena wouldn’t have minded, even if the window had been broken under normal circumstances. Of course then, she’d have still had her hearing.

_ Hopefully it’s getting better. _

Dinah hadn’t said anything all morning, or at least Helena didn’t think she had. Her only hope was that enough time had passed for her hearing to improve.

The only way Helena knew Dinah was awake was the constant presence of Dinah’s hand on her back. At some point in the morning Dinah had begun tracing patterns on Helena’s back with her fingernails. Though the movement was lazy and slow, Dinah hadn’t stopped.

Helena closed her eyes and fought off a yawn. After a moment, Dinah  _ laughed.  _ More importantly, Helena heard her. Before Helena could say something, she felt Dinah press a kiss into her hair.

“I love you, Helena.”

Her shoulders tensed as the breath got caught in her throat, and Dinah’s fingers grew still. A beat of silence passed and Helena allowed herself to take a deep breath.  _ This is fine.  _

She  _ felt  _ that Dinah loved her. She just hadn’t expected hearing it to take her off guard like this. When Dinah spoke again, it was little more than a whisper.

“You heard me, didn’t you?”

Had this been said the night before, when she had been so upset, Helena might have chosen to ignore it. But things were good, now. She felt good. And regardless of how she felt, the truth was still the same.

“Yes.” Helena lifted her head after a moment, in the hope that looking at Dinah would help her work out what she wanted to say. “I...I know you do - love me - I mean.” She hesitated. Dinah had given her the chance to say this once, and she hadn’t taken it. Even knowing that she should have. “I love you, too.”

“Yeah?” The way Dinah smiled made the nerves melt away. “Even if I fucked your hearing up?”

She fought the urge to laugh. “Mmhmm. One time’s okay. I’ve got a plan for next time—.”

Dinah’s eyebrows shot up. “ _ Next time? _ ” Helena nodded. “We are  _ not _ trying to make that happen again.”

“That’s an opinion.” When Dinah swatted her, Helena laughed. “I’ll wear earplugs, it's fine.”

Dinah’s laughter was the best thing Helena could have heard. When Dinah pushed against her shoulders, Helena allowed herself to be rolled onto her back. She expected Dinah to come with her, but instead Dinah rolled onto her side, facing away from her.

“Um.”

Dinah made herself comfortable, pulling the blankets up to her chest. “What?”

“Excuse me. What is this?” Helena had personally been a fan of the previous arrangement.  _ This _ was not as nice.

Dinah turned her head to look back at her, a teasing grin on her lips. “You can hear now, you don’t need me.”

“We can fix that—.”

“You’re the  _ worst. _ ” Dinah rolled her eyes before she turned her head away again.

Helena grinned. “That’s not what Harley says.”

“Yeah? Maybe you should call her.”

“Okay.” Helena stretched her arm out, reaching across Dinah with her palm up. “Hand me my phone. I bet Harley will come lay with me.”

To her surprise, Dinah grabbed her phone off the nightstand then turned over to face her. 

“Only one way to find out.”

Helena took her phone from Dinah with some hesitation, taking note of the smug expression Dinah wore. Biting her lip, Helena glanced down at her phone.

She unlocked it, but Dinah only stared at her.

“This was  _ your  _ idea.” Helena told her.

“Let’s go.”

_ She’s bluffing. Has to be. _

Helena pulled up Harley’s number, letting her finger hover over the button. Looking up, she caught Dinah’s eye. They stared at each other for several tense seconds as Helena waited. 

**“** Okay,” Helena finally said. “I’m calling-.”

Before her finger could press the button, Dinah snatched her phone away. “Let’s not.”

She held Helena’s phone out of reach, laughing when Helena stretched across her and tried to take it back.

Helena laughed too, swiping at her phone but missing. When Dinah tried to push her off, Helena pinned her arm to the bed.

“Hey,” Helena warned, pretending to be serious. “This was  _ your  _ idea.”

The next thing Helena heard was the sound of her phone hitting the floor when she knocked it out of Dinah’s hand. The only problem was it was now in the floor and out of reach. In one quick movement, Dinah’s legs wrapped around Helena’s waist, and Helena was once again rolled onto her back. Dinah came with her, ending up straddling Helena’s hips.

Their laughter surrounded the air around them, and Helena’s attempt at grabbing Dinah and tossing her off was thwarted when Dinah grabbed her wrists and twisted them together and held them down against Helena’s stomach.

“Admit it,” Dinah panted. “You lose, Bertinelli.”

Dinah was naked and sitting across her waist, at no point did Helena consider this to be  _ losing. _

“Mmm, do I?” Helena asked sarcastically, making a point to slowly drag her gaze down Dinah’s body. “I don’t think so.”

Dinah released Helena’s wrists, only to roughly shove her shoulder. “Shut up.” She added with a playful eye roll.

Humming, Helena pushed herself into a sitting position, her hands moving to Dinah’s waist, adjusting her as little as necessary to keep her now seated in Helena’s lap.

Dinah grinned as their foreheads brushed together. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Helena replied with a laugh.

The bruises she’d left on Dinah drew her eye, especially the dark bite-mark on Dinah’s shoulder. Without another word, Helena softly began kissing Dinah’s neck, making sure to leave at least one feather-light kiss against every mark she could find.

Dinah leaned her head back, sighing her approval. “What’re you doing?”

Helena waited until her lips found the deep purple bruising where she had bitten Dinah the night before, and she spoke between a series of several scattered kisses.

“Apologizing.”

A hum escaped Dinah’s throat, her hands finding their way into Helena’s hair. “Nothing to apologize for.”

On this, they disagreed. So, Helena continued her gentle reparations. She didn’t stop until Dinah used her hair to pull Helena’s head up, regaining her attention. Undeterred, Helena simply leaned forward and captured Dinah’s lips in a kiss.

This was a  _ very  _ good morning. Helena was sure they had work to do - somewhere - but there was no reason that couldn’t wait a little while.

This thought in particular didn’t last long. A loud, obnoxious knocking came at the door to their apartment moments later. Dinah broke the kiss with a groan, her hands lowering to Helena’s shoulders.

“Who do you think it is?” Helena murmured, her mouth traveling along Dinah’s jaw. 

She was met with a sigh. “Renee and Harley don’t knock.”

On cue, Oliver shouted from outside, following another series of knocks. “Dinah? Are you home?”

Helena lifted her head and scowled toward the door.  _ Can’t he take a hint? _

Before she could suggest ignoring him, Dinah had already climbed off her lap and begun searching for clothes.

“Come on,” Dinah muttered. “He won’t go away on his own.”

Helena didn’t  _ want  _ to, but she climbed out of bed anyway. The sooner Oliver was dealt with, the sooner he would go away. Even if Helena didn’t want to see him, she wasn’t too happy about having her morning interrupted.

_ Maybe he will leave soon. _

* * *

“What do you want, Ollie?” Dinah cracked the door open, leaning her head against the door frame.

Oliver was standing just outside. There was a bandage across his nose, and the near black bruising covering half his face showed that Helena had done more than enough to leave a mark.

Dinah had just thrown on some clothes and hadn’t had time to look at herself in the mirror, but she knew that she wore some bruises of her own. But, unlike Oliver, she’d at least enjoyed receiving them.

When Dinah asked the question, Oliver’s eyes flitted from her face to the apartment behind her a few times as he shuffled back and forth on his feet.

“What, Ollie?” Dinah asked again.

He cleared his throat. “Can—can I come inside? Is Helena here?”

“Where else would she be?”

Oliver pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek but said nothing. Rolling her eyes, Dinah lazily pushed off the door frame, using her elbow to open the door a little farther. She walked away from the door then, leaving it open for Oliver to follow.

“I’m waiting.” She said, not looking back as she went to the couch to sit down.

Oliver’s sigh was not lost on her. “I came to apologize.”

It took immense effort to not roll her eyes again. She’d heard many of his apologies over the years, and forgiven him far too many times. There was no reason for Dinah to believe this time would be any different. 

Oliver sat down in the armchair across from her, drumming his fingers on the armrests. “Don’t look at me like that.” He complained, as if he’d read her mind.

Dinah wanted to believe him, really. But she’d been here too many times. “I’ve heard this song before, Ollie.”

He looked at her tiredly, but made no attempt at arguing. 

The bedroom door opened before Dinah could find something else to say. Helena emerged from the bedroom without a sound, but Oliver’s eyes moved to her quickly. Dinah watched as Oliver tracked her movement through the apartment. Helena eventually ended up in the kitchen, before she even acknowledged Dinah and Oliver were there. 

Dinah looked over as Helena planted her hands on the counter and arched her brow.

“You  _ could  _ sit with us.” Oliver commented.

Sometimes Dinah wondered how dense Oliver truly was. Helena was still angry, though she hid it well. She also wasn’t comfortable having him in the apartment again. Keeping her distance like this was Helena’s way of ensuring Oliver’s safety. 

“Could.” Helena replied without moving.

Dinah leaned against the back of the couch and tried to get comfortable. “Oliver came to apologize.”

The twitch in Helena’s eyebrow was the only indication that she’d heard Dinah at all.

“I think I owe both of you one,” Oliver insisted. “I’ve been acting like an ass.”

“Oh, so you’re aware.” Sarcasm dripped from Dinah’s tongue. “First time for everything.”

“Dinah,” Oliver replied, now clearly annoyed as he frowned at her, “I’m serious.”

“Would you have apologized if Helena hadn’t broken your nose?”

Oliver’s silence told Dinah all she needed to know.  _ About time someone knocked him down a notch or two. _

“That’s a no then, right?” Dinah asked. Oliver opened his mouth again, but nothing came out. “Okay, got it.”

He floundered for a few moments before he leveled a glare in her direction. “Can I talk, Dinah? Please?”

“Oh, sorry.” Years of bitterness lay under the surface, and Dinah chose her next words carefully. She didn’t want him to think she had forgotten. “Am I interrupting the script you spent all night rehearsing?”

“It’s not like that.”

That was a lie. All his past apologies had been well-practiced and executed flawlessly. Dinah wouldn’t give him the satisfaction again.

“Ollie,” Dinah crosses her arms. “You don’t have to apologize. Especially if you don’t mean it.” She glanced quickly in Helena’s direction, but Helena was observing them with an unreadable expression. “I promise we’re not losing sleep over it.”

Oliver’s gaze dropped to her neck, and to all the hickies Dinah knew had been left there. “Yeah. Looks like you’ve been losing sleep doing something else.”

“That’s irrelevant.” She snapped her fingers in front of him until his attention was back on her face. “I still haven’t heard a real apology.”

“Look...I’ve said a lot of things I shouldn’t have.”

“Understatement.”

Oliver looked as if he was ready to fight if she continued to needle him. Though he seemed to be holding it off as best he could, she wasn’t sure how much more his temper would tolerate. Not that she cared.

“Dinah.” Helena said sharply from the kitchen. Her name was the only thing she got out of Helena, but the look they shared a moment later conveyed Helena’s message perfectly:  _ knock it off. _

Oliver glanced back and forth between them, but he didn’t continue until Helena motioned for him to go on.

“I know I pushed it a little too far.” As he said this, Dinah pointedly cut her eyes at his bruised face but held her tongue. “And I shouldn’t have. Like I said - I’ve been an ass.”

He scooted forward on the seat, letting his elbows rest on his knees. “So...I owe you an apology. I know I’ve not made this easy. I’m sorry.”

_ Does he really expect me to believe him? _

“I thought - maybe we could start over - maybe try again.”

Dinah sighed. “Whatever.” She suspected he was only doing this to make himself feel better - she expected no real change. “I don’t care.” She motioned first to herself, then extended her arm to gesture toward Helena. “Take your apology up with her.”

This wasn’t the response he’d anticipated, judging from the blank stare he gave her. But to his credit, he recovered quickly.

“Fine.” He pushed himself from his seat and walked to the other side of the counter so that he was facing Helena. “I’m sorry. I’ve said a lot of...inappropriate things to you, and her.” He emphasized this by jerking his thumb over his shoulder and in Dinah’s direction. “I shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry. I will...work on how I speak to you from now on.”

Unfortunately, Dinah’s expectations were low, and she was afraid this was the best apology they would get from him - though Dinah hadn’t expected one in the first place.

“Alright,” Helena said slowly. “Fair enough. I’m not apologizing for…” She trailed off and gestured vaguely toward Oliver’s face. When she did, Dinah clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

“Of course not.” Oliver said too-eagerly. “It was well-deserved.”

“Oh good, you agree. Perfect.” Seconds later Helena extended her hand out toward him. “You want to start over? Okay.”

“Apology accepted?”

Only when Helena nodded did Oliver take the hand she had offered to him and shake it. He was smiling when he released Helena’s hand and turned to Dinah with a triumphant gleam in his eye. But whatever he  _ would  _ have said to her was instantaneously shot down by Helena.

“Now that you’re done...apologizing,” Helena began, “I mean this in the nicest possible way. Please get out of my house. I see you way too much already.”

Dinah snorted, unable to contain her amusement any longer. Realizing he had overstayed his welcome, Oliver took it in stride.

“Sure,” He side-stepped around the counter, already making his way to the door. “I’ll be seeing both of you later, anyway. Lots to do.”

“That’s an exaggeration.” Dinah complained quietly.

Oliver gave her no response. Whether he didn’t hear her, or simply chose to ignore her didn’t matter. With a half-hearted wave in her direction and a nod to Helena, Oliver was gone. As the door shut behind him, Dinah saw Helena sigh, and it wasn’t until his footsteps had begun to fade that Helena turned to face her.

“That went...well?”’

Dinah made no attempt to mask her irritation. “You think so?”

“You don’t?”

“That man makes empty promises to make himself feel better.” Dinah explained. 

“You didn’t have to antagonize him.”

“Would you rather I sit here and let him lie to us?” Dinah countered.

Helena’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what you think that was?”

“You forget how many times I’ve let him get away with it before.”

This curbed Helena’s argument, and her shoulders dropped ever so slightly before she walked across the room and ended up standing behind the couch. 

“So you accepted his apology.” Dinah said, leaning her head back so she was looking up at Helena.

“Mmhmm.” Helena murmured, bending at the waist to press a kiss to Dinah’s forehead. “That was easy.”

“What happens if nothing changes?” 

Dinah had every right to be skeptical. Helena sighed then, her breath hot as it blew across Dinah’s forehead. After a moment she straightened. “Guess I’ll kick his ass.”

“Again.” Dinah snickered.

“Mm.” A smirk turned up the corner of Helena’s mouth. “Maybe.” But it didn’t last long. “I’ve got to shower. I need to go to Harley’s.”

“Oh.” Dinah couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease her. “You’ve got to go see your other girlfriend, huh?”

“Do you want to come?” Helena offered.

“To shower with you? Or to Harley’s?”

Helena’s eyes shifted to one side as she realized what she’d done, and color rushed to her cheeks. Dinah had taken her completely off guard. 

“I—um—well.” Finally, she blew a buff of air out and scratched the back of her head. “I’m going —to um—bye.”

With that she spun on her heel, hurrying toward the bedroom as Dinah began cackling on the couch.

“Helena,” Dinah called out through her laughter. “Come on.” She climbed over the back of the couch, chasing after Helena once her feet hit the floor. “Wait for me.”

* * *

Standing outside Harley’s apartment, Helena realized she wasn’t even sure that Harley and Cass were  _ home. _ She should have called, but reminded herself that Harley would not have extended her the same courtesy.

Helena did, however, knock. Then she waited. And waited. Helena counted to ten, then knocked again. This time, she could hear shuffling on the other side of the door.

Knocking a third time, Helena listened carefully until she heard footsteps approaching the door. She took a step back, just in time for a pajama-clad Harley to crack the door open and peer out at her.

“Whatever you’re sellin’,” Harley grumbled, “We don’t want — lovebird!” She threw the door open fully when she recognized Helena, her whole expression brightening with delight. “What’re you doin’ here?”

Helena started to answer, but Harley cut her off by adding: “Ya want me ta help ya kick Queenie’s ass again?”

_ “No.”  _ Helena wanted to shut down that train of thought quickly.  _ Maybe later, if his apology was just for show.  _ Time would tell, but she didn’t want to drag Harley into that - not yet.

The way Harley pouted made Helena think she might have been a little disappointed by that answer. She would just have to get over it.

“Didn’t ya bring Dinah?”

Helena shook her head. Dinah had opted to stay at home a little while longer, but they’d agreed to meet up later at the base once Renee and Oliver got there. “Where’s Cass?”

Harley stuck her bottom lip out as far as it would go, only exaggerating her pout. “Ya mean you didn’t come to see  _ me? _ ”

“ _ Harley.”  _ Helena didn’t have time for this. “Please.”

“Fine.” Harley turned her nose up. “Didn’t want to see you anyways. Kid’s in her room.”

“Thank you.” Helena made sure to say as she stepped around Harley and entered the apartment.

She could hear Harley grumbling under her breath, but Helena chose to ignore her.

Cass’ door was cracked open, only barely. Helena knocked all the same.

“Yeah?” Cass asked.

Helena cleared her throat. “Can I come in?”

A beat passed before Helena heard Cass say ‘yeah’ again. Only then did Helena push the door open and enter the bedroom.

Cass was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her phone in her lap. She didn’t seem too happy to see Helena, but if Helena had to guess, Cass probably knew why she was there.

“We need to talk,” Helena said as she shut the door behind her, a futile attempt at trying to prevent Harley from eavesdropping. “About what happened last night.”

Cass chewed on her bottom lip, eyeing Helena with suspicion. “I thought you said you weren’t mad.”

Helena  _ wasn’t.  _ But she had to make a conscious effort to show Cass that. She sat on the edge of the bed, doing her best to keep her features neutral. “I’m not.”

Cass’ eyes shifted to one side and Helena saw her begin nervously picking at her fingernails. “Am I in trouble?”

“Depends.” Helena answered with a shrug. “You should probably start by telling me what you were doing.”

Cass watched her warily for a few moments, but Helena only waited.

“I thought maybe she was up to something.” Cass muttered, not meeting Helena’s eye. “So while you guys were at dinner I went through the stuff in her car.”

“You stole her keys when you bumped into us.”

Cass nodded. Helena  _ could  _ have given Cass a lecture, but she didn’t see the point - it wouldn’t do any good now.

“And?” She asked. “Find anything?”

The half-hearted shrug she got in response told her that the answer was not much. 

“She’s got a gun under the front seat.”

Helena arched her brow to show that she was listening, but said nothing. She wasn’t surprised. They were in Gotham, after all, and Starling worked for the Penguin.  _ No _ gun would have been more surprising.

“But I didn’t touch it.” Cass added. “And she had a bunch of papers in the glovebox. I went through all those.”

“Cass.” Helena said in a disapproving tone, “What if she notices everything mixed up?”

“She won’t.” Cass promised. “I put everything back exactly how I found it. Here.” She picked up her phone and held it out to Helena. “I took pictures of everything.”

Helena didn’t need to be told twice, as she was far too interested in seeing if Cass had actually found anything useful.

The first few pictures were mostly receipts, or nothing of real consequence. There was also the car’s registration - nearly expired - and an accompanying insurance card.

Helena began flicking through the pictures with a slight hint of impatience, but gave each image a once over regardless.

The next picture wouldn’t have caught her attention at all if it hadn’t been a  _ list.  _ There were dates, times, even addresses, though Helena didn’t recognize any of them. She read it over twice as she tried to make sense of it. At the very least it looked like some kind of delivery sheet, but Helena couldn’t understand why Starling would have that in her car.

“Do you know what this is?” Helena asked, turning the phone around so Cass could see.

“Nope. Do you?”

Helena shook her head. “No, but maybe you found something after all.”

Cass’ eyes lit up. “Really?”

Helena was already forwarding the picture to her own phone. “Only one way to find out.” She could send it to Dinah and Renee, to see what they thought. “I’m not going to tell Dinah or Renee what you did  _ yet. _ ” Helena warned. “But next time—.” She couldn’t believe she wasn’t  _ entirely  _ discouraging this. “—next time you have got to be more careful.” She made sure Cass was looking at her - that Cass understood. “Starling would have caught you last night if I hadn’t—if I hadn’t distracted her.”

“I know,” Cass muttered dejectedly, “I’m sorry.”

It was alright, so long as Helena didn’t have to do it again. She was still disgusted with herself.

“I’ll be faster next time.” Cass promised.

“Next time.” Helena caught herself laughing as she repeated it. “We’re both getting ahead of ourselves.” Despite Cass’ frown, she continued. “I know you want to help, but…” She trailed off, looking for the right words. She never found them. “We’ll work on it. Deal?”

Cass grinned as Helena stuck her pinky out for Cass to take. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do for now. Cass had talent, that was never in question, but she needed to be more careful. Helena just wasn’t sure she could be the one to teach her that, or what the consequence would be if Cass didn’t learn.

* * *

Dinah looked down at the map and pressed her lips together.

“Well?” Renee asked from where she stood at Dinah’s shoulder.

Dinah pointed at one of the pins. “There are storage units here. I’ve got some stuff there.”

Some of the addresses were unfamiliar to her, but this wasn’t a problem Renee shared. 

“This is an abandoned office building.” Renee pointed at another spot. “My apartment is over here - and this spot,” Renee frowned, gently nudging Dinah to one side so she could see better. “I think it used to be a gym.”

“Used to be?”

“Yeah. It’s empty.”

“What’s he doing with empty buildings?”

Renee shrugged. “I don’t know. But looks like these spots line up with where he’s got the EMPs.”

“Yeah, but why?” It didn’t make any sense. “Those are blocking stuff like cellphones and TV signals—.”

“—and anybody trying to track his deliveries.” Renee finished.

Dinah turned to look at her. “Don’t you think that’s too obvious?”

“Clearly he doesn’t.”

“Alright.”  _ Time to see what we can find.  _ “Pick one. Let’s go.”

Renee impatiently tapped one of the pins. “Let’s start here. I’ll have Oliver meet us there. Where’s Helena?”

“She had to go see Harley.”

Renee scrunched her face up and looked at Dinah with confusion. “Why?”

“Didn’t ask.” Dinah shrugged. “Go ahead and call her too. She’ll show up.”

“Where’d she get this list?”

“Never told me.” She admitted. “But I’ll ask.”

Renee narrowed her eyes, clearly unhappy with Dinah’s response. “I don’t like that.”

“Don’t have to.”

Renee sighed. “Guess not. Lemme call ‘em - go get the car ready.”

Dinah nodded and headed out. Once outside, she went ahead and started the car, just to be safe. If it decided to die again, it didn’t need to be now. A few minutes later Renee joined her, sliding into the front seat with another sigh.

“Oliver’s on the way. Helena didn’t answer.”

It was odd, but Dinah tried not to let it bother her. “She’ll figure it out.”

“Is she going to be alright around Oliver?”

“Should be.” Unconvinced, Renee looked at her skeptically. “He came by and apologized earlier.”

This got Renee to laugh. “So she broke  _ his  _ nose, and he’s the one apologizing?”

“You don’t know half of what he said to her last night.” And Dinah wasn’t about to repeat it. “They’ll be fine.  _ Helena  _ won’t be a problem.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Dinah wanted to quickly change the subject. “Do you know of anyone who replaces windows?”

Unfortunately, Dinah forgot that would lead to  _ questions.  _ “Why? What’d you do, break one?”

“Mmhmm. Last night.”

“How the fuck—.” Renee twisted in her seat to look at Dinah. “How did you break the window?”

“With my voice.” Dinah left it at that, Renee’s imagination could do the rest. 

A low whistle came moments later, and Renee shook her head disapprovingly. 

“I don’t know anybody.” She finally said. “But it won’t be hard to find someone to do it.”

“Mm.”

Movement in the rear view mirror caught Dinah’s eye. She glanced up and saw a motorcycle weaving in and out of the traffic behind her. Sunlight reflected off the rider’s helmet, and as the motorcycle slid in front of another car, Dinah grinned to herself.

“We’ve got company.”

Renee looked over her shoulder and chuckled when she recognized it was Helena. “So she can’t answer her phone?”

Helena had gained on them quickly, and was now behind Dinah’s car. “Told you she’d show up.”

The traffic came to a standstill two blocks over. Coming to a stop in line with all the other cars, Dinah sighed. 

“We’ve got the worst luck.”

Helena maneuvered her bike around Dinah’s car, pulling dangerously close to the door and tapping on the window.

She flipped her visor up as Dinah rolled the window down. “Where are you guys going?”

“If you’d answer your phone,” Renee complained, “You’d know.”

Helena winked at Dinah quickly as Renee scolded her, fishing her phone out of her pocket. “Send me the address then, I’ll meet you there.”

“Not going to follow us?”

Helena snorted. “I’ll get there faster.”

“Is that a bet?” Dinah teased. “I’m sure there’s an alley around here I can take as a shortcut—.”

_ “No.”  _ Renee held her hand up, glaring at both of them. “Don’t even think about it.”

Traffic began to crawl again, each car in front of her slowly creeping forward. Dinah rolled her eyes. “Send Helena the damn address.”

Helena chuckled to herself and patted the door before she pushed herself off the car. 

“See you there.” Helena blew Dinah a kiss before she pulled her visor down.

As soon as there was enough space between the cars, Helena’s bike slipped through. With nowhere to go, Dinah tracked her until she was out of sight.

“You guys are ridiculous.”

“Hey,” Dinah laughed. “You signed up for this.”

“Mm. Did I?”

“Sure did.”

Renee finally broke into laughter. “I’ve changed my mind.”

“Too late.”

“Damn.” Renee craned her neck to try and see, likely looking for Helena. But by now she was long gone. “Hope she doesn’t mind waiting. Looks like it’ll be a while.”

Thirty minutes, to be exact. By the time they pulled up to the address, Dinah had already considered moving out of Gotham entirely - or spending more time taking rides on Helena’s bike - either option was a welcome alternative.

Helena was waiting on them outside, and as Dinah parked her car Helena made a big show of checking her phone for the time, barely hiding a smile.

“Oh shut up.” Renee warned, though Helena hadn’t said anything. “Is Oliver here yet?”

“Haven’t seen him.” Helena grinned at Dinah as Dinah climbed out of the car. “He’s probably stuck in traffic too.” Helena danced just out of reach when Renee swung at her.

“You smart-ass motherfucker.”

Helena snickered, but Renee didn’t try again. “What is this place?”

“It  _ used  _ to be an insurance office.” Renee explained. “Been abandoned for a long time.”

“So why are we here?”

Renee turned to Helena in disbelief. “The hell do you mean? This is one of the places off that list you sent us.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? That’s all you got? Where’d you get that list from anyway?”

Helena turned her head, either searching for the words she wanted or looking for an escape. Either way, she avoided meeting both Renee or Dinah’s gaze, her eyes wandering elsewhere.

“Helena,” Dinah said softly, “What’s going on?”

Clearly Helena  _ knew  _ something. There was a reason she didn’t want to talk about it, and Dinah wanted to find out why.

“Um…” Helena sighed, one hand coming up to scratch the side of her head. “You know how you guys lost Cass last night?”

“Yes.” Dinah replied slowly.  _ Why does that matter? What did Cass do?  _ “You’re the one who brought her back.”

Renee caught on about the same time Dinah did. “Where was she?”

“She followed me to the restaurant. While I was inside with Starling - well, Cass stole her car keys. The list I sent you was in the car. Cass showed it to me.”

“And you didn’t try to stop her?!” Renee brought a hand to her forehead. “She could have blown your cover!”

“It was too late, at that point.”

“Helena—.” Renee stooped and took a deep breath. “We can’t just let her get away with stuff like this.”

“I’ve already talked to her. It’s fine.”

“Talked to her  _ how?”  _ Dinah asked. 

“I said we’d—work on it? And how she needed to be...faster?”

“Helena we can’t encourage this.” Renee argued. “She’s gonna end up getting hurt.”

Dinah disagreed. She knew Cass a little better than that. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea.” She pressed on despite the way Renee stared at her. “It’s  _ Cass.  _ She’s going to do it whether we want her to or not. We might as well help her.”

Renee gave up. “I don’t have time to worry about this.” She gestured toward the door of the building. “Let’s get inside and take a look around.”

When Dinah tried the front door, she found it locked. That didn’t surprise her. With no regard for any attention she might draw them, Dinah stepped back and kicked the door as hard as she could. It took a few tries and one well-placed shoulder for the door to give way, but eventually she got them inside.

The first room was dark and empty, as one would expect. Helena started trying the light switches, and after a few tries the room was washed in a flickering white light. There was a thick layer of dust on the floor, but Dinah could see the outline of footsteps - far more than they could have left in two minutes. There were other tracks on the dust in the floor, left from what might have been boxes.

Dinah saw too many red flags. “Montoya, how long did you say this place has been closed?”

“Couple years, at least. Don’t know why it’s not been torn down.”

“So long enough that it shouldn't have electricity.” Dinah gestured toward the floor. “Or visitors.”

“Can’t explain the lights, but maybe some kids broke in.”

Helena grumbled from the doorway behind Dinah. “Door was intact. No broken windows. Definitely being maintained - poorly.”

“Forgot you notice everything.” Renee muttered.

“You were the detective.”

“Alright. What else?”

Helena’s answer came in the form of a shrug, as she walked around them and went into the next room, where Dinah could see the remnants of cubicles. “Let’s find out.”

Unfortunately, the only thing they found was more dust. There wasn’t much left.

Dinah drug her finger through some of the dust on a turned over desk and frowned when she saw how thick it was. 

“Whatever was here is gone now.” 

“But there  _ was  _ something.” Renee corrected. 

Helena’s head snapped up as Renee finished speaking, her eyes wide and alert. One flick of the wrist and Helena’s crossbow was at-the-ready, pointed at the door.

Oliver - in his Green Arrow suit - was not what Dinah expected to come through the door given Helena’s reaction. Upon seeing the crossbow aimed at his face as soon as he walked through the door, Oliver immediately put his hands up.

“Easy, killer.” He chuckled nervously. 

Helena and Oliver stared at each other for a few tense seconds before she let her arm drop, and with it, the crossbow.

“So…” Oliver said as he pulled his eyes away from Helena and looked around. “There’s nothing here.”

“We figured that out.” Helena grunted. “Got any other ideas?”

Oliver shrugged. “I’ve got lots of equipment in the car if you guys want to double check some things. A UV light, a metal detector, a Geiger-counter—.”

“Ollie,” Dinah stopped him. “Why do you haul all that around?”

He winked. “Never know.”

“Go get all of it, then. No use carrying it around if we’re not going to use it.”

Turns out Oliver was all-too-eager to do exactly that, and they ended up spending the next ten minutes watching Oliver sort through the junk he kept in his car. 

When it was all unloaded, he handed Helena the Geiger-counter with no further instruction past a quiet ‘good luck’.

Dinah laid claim to the UV light as soon as it was fished out of the chaos, setting to work immediately.

She left Oliver and Renee at the car and made her way back inside, cutting the UV light on and shining it around the room.

Her expectations may have been a little too high as she began her slow, methodical sweep of the main room. There was a periodic clicking sound she could hear nearby, but once Oliver and Renee came back inside it was drowned out by their voices.

Dinah was only further disappointed when she finished her lap of the room and turned up empty-handed.

“What happens if there’s nothing here?” Dinah asked.

The harder they searched, the greater the possibility seemed to become. 

The clicking was getting faster now, and certainly more annoying.

“Then we start over.” Renee said with a sigh. Her eyes were searching for the source or the sound, just like Dinah was.

Helena had come to a standstill, resting in one of the larger tracks in the dust, looking down at her hands.

“What the hell is that?” Dinah asked, turning to see if Helena might have the answer.

After a second or two she realized that the clicking noise was coming  _ from  _ Helena - or more specifically the Geiger-counter she was holding.

It was only clicking faster as she lowered it toward the floor. “Uh...guys?”

Dinah was at Helena’s side in an instant, but so was Oliver.

“Holy shit.” He muttered, taking the meter away from her. “That’s...not good.”

Dinah didn’t understand. “There’s nothing here.”

“Something had to be to put off this much radiation.” Oliver shrugged, walking a wide circle around the room, watching the meter as he did so. “What did you say this place was?”

“Insurance office.” Helena replied before Dinah or Renee could.

“Well I don’t think that’s what’s responsible for this. It’s—it’s probably not safe for us to stay here very long.” He’d no sooner said it than Dinah felt Helena’s hand at the small of her back, ready to guide her toward the door. “Let’s go back to the base, let me get a look at our new map.”

“Then what?”

His attention elsewhere, it took him a few seconds to even acknowledge the question with another shrug. 

“We can check a few more of these places out.” Renee suggested. “Just in case. Plus we need to decide what to do about Starling.”

Dinah suspected Helena wouldn’t be happy about the prospect, but Helena was too preoccupied with steering Dinah outside to argue.

* * *

“Are we  _ sure  _ the kid didn’t get caught?” Oliver asked.

Renee had filled him in when they had returned to the base. He’d been pouring over the map for a few minutes, and this was the first thing he’d said since.

“Yes.” Helena was  _ positive.  _ “There’s no way.”

“Just an idea. If Starling suspected something and tipped him off...well, it would explain the empty building.”

“Maybe. But Cass gave her word. Everything was left where she found it.”

“Maybe she missed something.”

Helena ground her teeth together. “She didn’t.”

“She’s a kid, maybe—.”

“She—didn’t—miss—anything.” Helena growled. Cass had given Helena her word, Helena decided to believe her - whole-heartedly.

Oliver got the message and backed off. “Fine. She didn’t. Are you going to call Starling?” 

“I don’t know.” She tried to shrug it off, “It might be too soon.”

Oliver nodded.  _ Is he agreeing?  _ “Maybe. But at least now we know for sure the Penguin is up to something.”

He had a point, especially if the Geiger-counter went off in any of the other locations. Helena didn’t know what the Penguin was doing that left traces of radiation in its wake, but it couldn’t be good. The easiest way to find out was again to get close to him - and Starling was still the fastest way.

“So what does she say?” Dinah asked, “She can’t just call and say ‘hey I wanna work for your boss’, there’s no way it’ll be that easy.”

Oliver’s answer came in the form of a shrug.

_ He doesn’t know either. _

“I think she made an impression on him.” Renee chimed in. “She might have a better chance that way.”

_ Haven’t we had this conversation before? _

Helena knew what the outcome would be. Inevitably, she would call Starling, but she had no idea what would come after that. Her gut told her it was nothing good. But she didn’t want to sit here and listen to them argue about it again. 

Pushing herself out of her seat, Helena sighed. “I’ll call her.”

Before any of them could object, or worse, offer her more advice, Helena grabbed her phone and quickly ducked outside. Having the three of them watching her would only make her nerves worse, plus being outside would hopefully help keep her head straight.

The only problem was that once she was outside, she couldn’t bring herself to call. Instead, she began pacing back and forth in front of Dinah’s car, her finger hovering just over the phone screen.

When the screen went black, she didn’t bother to cut it back on. She focused on her footsteps instead, counting how many it took her to pass in front of Dinah’s car each time before she turned around. 

The phone call itself wasn’t the problem. It wasn’t even that Starling was the recipient. Helena just didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t an actress, and no half-assed script from Oliver or Renee was going to help her.

Helena had never been good at pretending. Surely, at some point Starling would catch on and see through the whole charade. There was no logical way she couldn’t, as far as Helena was concerned. What was the use in lying if it was all a waste of time, in the end?

She didn’t look up when the door to the base opened, nor did she look up at the sound of approaching footsteps. She recognized them as Dinah’s immediately. 

Quietly, Dinah walked over and sat on the hood of her car. Helena waited for her to say something, but Dinah merely leaned back on her hands and  _ watched. _

The silence was what was most unsettling. Helena wanted Dinah to say  _ something,  _ anything. Calling Starling now became irrelevant as Helena continued to pace.

She would say or do whatever Dinah wanted, but in order to do that Dinah would have to speak first.

But the minutes passed by in prolonged silence, the only sound between them caused by Helena’s feet on the pavement.

Eventually, Helena couldn’t take it anymore, stopping in her tracks and looking desperately at Dinah.

“What do I do?” She asked quietly. “This isn’t a good idea.” Her gut was telling her as much, and Helena seldom ignored it. “You can’t think it is. I mean—.” She stopped and roughly pushed her hair out of her face. “I don’t know what I’m even supposed to say. I can’t just lie to her forever.”

She was met with more silence, which only made things worse.

“Something doesn’t feel right.” Helena was hesitant to admit that she was worried, but if she couldn’t tell  _ Dinah  _ then she didn’t know who else to confide in. “I don’t—I don’t know how to explain it.” She stopped long enough to rest one hand in her stomach. “I  _ feel  _ it. Here.”

Dinah watched her silently, her eyes following the movement of Helena’s hand.

“Maybe I’m overreacting.” Helena admitted, it all felt a little crazy. “I don’t know.” As the words tumbled from her mouth, logic started to take over. “What if he  _ is  _ doing something, and it’s too big for us to deal with?”

Dinah finally spoke up. “If it is, Oliver will call the Justice League.” 

She spoke in a soothing tone, as if it was the simplest answer in the world.

“And you still want to get involved?”

“Don’t you?”

Helena wasn’t sure.  _ What am I so afraid of?  _ Truthfully, nothing logical had happened to make her this anxious. It was  _ nothing.  _ If Dinah and the others weren’t worried - or hiding it better than she was - there was no problem.

“I don’t know” was all Helena could say.

“So don’t call.” Dinah shrugged. “If that’s what’s upsetting you, we can always find a way around it.”

Helena sighed. Calling seemed to be the only option she had. Even if it was the last thing she wanted.

Dinah seemed to catch on. “Give it a few days.” She offered. “Maybe figure out what you want to say to her. If you can’t think of anything…” she trailed off and shrugged. “We come up with Plan B.”

“Plan B?” Helena echoed. “What’s that going to be?”

“Well,” Dinah laughed, “If Oliver has any say in it, it’ll involve ‘sneaking’ into the Iceberg Lounge,” She added air quotes for emphasis. “Then probably blowing something up.”

“Oh.” Helena recognized this type of plan. “So just like Harley.”

Dinah’s sigh told Helena she wasn’t too far off.

“I still like Harley more.”

Dinah nodded along as Helena said it. “I know you do.”

Another comment died on the tip of her tongue as her phone rang. Puzzled, she looked down and saw the call was from none other than Starling.

_ Oh fuck. _

Dinah had noticed too. “Speak of the devil.” She motioned for Helena to go ahead and answer. “Let’s see what she wants.”

Though Helena personally didn’t  _ want _ to know, she answered.

“Hey there,” Starling said as the call connected. “What’s up?”

Instantaneously, Helena began pacing again before she’d even said a single word.

“Um—not much.” She hates how awkward this felt, as she stared down at her feet. “How are you?”

It was the polite thing to ask, though she didn’t care - or pay attention to the answer. But that didn’t stop Starling from continuing past that.

“I was just calling to let you know I had a really good time last night.” Starling explained. “You seemed kind of nervous, so I thought I’d try to check-in.”

_ So she did notice something after all. _

“Oh—.” Helena stammered. “Uh—yeah. Sorry.” She became aware of the fact that Dinah was watching her pace, and Helena tried not to be distracted by it. “I—.”

Her sentence stopped when Dinah reached out and took hold of her hand. Abruptly, Helena stopped pacing, coming to a halt in front of Dinah. For a moment, all she could focus on was the warmth of Dinah’s skin and the way Dinah squeezed her hand.

It gave Helena something else to concentrate on. Her gaze slowly traveled to Dinah’s face, and when their eyes met Helena managed to smile. 

“Did I lose you?” Starling asked.

“No—.” Helena snapped out of her gaze. For a few seconds she’d forgotten she was on the phone. “Sorry, I got distracted.” Despite Dinah’s arched brow, Helena carried on. “I—I was trying to say that—well I had a really nice time last night, uh...too.”

As far as her evening with Starling was concerned, nothing could be farther from the truth. It wasn’t something Helena wanted to experience again. But as she looked at Dinah, she remembered most of their night together fondly. This meant that for one of them, what Helena said was true.

“We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“Sure.” Starling laughed.

The beat of silence that followed was awkward enough that if Dinah hadn’t been there, Helena’s nerves would have returned in full force.

“You know,” Starling added, slowly filling the silence again. “That’s not the only reason I called.”

Helena raised her eyebrows in interest, only to be reminded that Starling couldn’t see her. And, unlike Sal, she was unlikely to just  _ know  _ Helena had done it.

“Oh?” Helena managed to ask. “What’s the other thing?”

“The boss asked me to call you - wants to see if you’re interested in a job.”

Of all the things Helena had expected Starling to say, this wasn’t one of them. Starling had beaten her to the punch, and Helena didn’t like the feeling of having the rug pulled out from under her like this.

“Oh,” Helena tried to quickly regain her bearings. “Sure - of course. What does he want done?” Dinah’s thumb had begun rubbing slow circles on the back of her palm, and Helena tried to focus on that.

“He wants you to come to the lounge,” Starling explained, “Wants to talk to you himself.” That wasn’t the answer Helena wanted, but Starling wasn’t finished. “I told him if you were interested I’d let you know.”

Helena had dozens of questions that popped to mind, but was afraid to ask any of them - there was no need to appear over-eager.

“Okay,” she sighed. 

There was a hint of laughter left in Starling’s voice, though Helena didn’t understand why. “I’ll text you.” Starling promised. “When I see him tonight I’ll tell him - might take a few days for him to make up his mind.”

“Just let me know.”

Helena wasn’t sure she was ready for it, regardless of how many days she had to prepare. Besides, she wasn’t looking forward to a reunion - or risking him pulling a gun on her against

“I’m gonna let you go now, Helena.”

“Okay—sure.” Before she could stammer through a goodbye, the line went dead. Helena couldn’t quite get used to Starling. Though she didn’t want to, she thought that might have helped make the talking easier.

Pulling the phone away from her ear, Helena looked at Dinah and took a deep breath before she slid her phone into her pocket. 

“What?” Dinah asked, the quiet level of her voice more comforting than Helena thought she knew. “What’d she say?”

They’d  _ just  _ had the conversation, but Helena had to concentrate on what had been said to remember it.

“The Penguin has a job. For me.”

“Okay.” Dinah nodded and pushed off the hood of her car to stand. “When? Where?”

“I don’t know.” Helena would have been happier with as many details as Starling could give her. But she had none, and couldn’t give any to Dinah. She felt more confused than when they’d started. “She wants me to go to the lounge and talk to him.”

“Again.” Dinah said, only saying what Helena was thinking.

“Yeah. She’s going to—well, she’ll tell me when.”

It was Dinah’s turn to sigh. “Great.” Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on Helena, but it was nice to know that Helena wasn’t the only one who was frustrated. Tugging on Helena’s hand, Dinah turned to go back inside. “Come on, you’ve got to tell Renee and Oliver.”

“Why?” Helena asked, unable to hide the bitterness in her voice. “So they can tell me to call her back?”

“Helena—.”

“I didn’t want to do  _ any  _ of this.” Helena growled, stopping dead in her tracks. “You know that.”

Dinah, unfazed, pointed toward the door where Helena knew Oliver and Renee were inside. “Tell them that.”

Helena would, if she thought it would change anything. But if she didn’t, she’d end up stewing in her anger and say nothing.

* * *

Dinah could feel the anger radiating off Helena as they walked back inside. She knew of the explosive temper that lay in wait under the surface, though Helena had been controlling it much better until the incident with Oliver.

Oliver and Renee were right where Dinah had left them to wait, and it didn’t take long for Renee to speak up.

“Did you call?” Renee asked. “How’d it go?”

“How the fuck do you think it went?” Dinah wasn’t surprised that Helena skipped straight to shouting, but she did wince at the volume. “I’m apparently meeting with the Penguin again—because that’s such a great fucking idea—but at least it makes you guys happy.”

Dinah sighed and found somewhere to sit down. Meanwhile, Oliver and Renee looked between her and Helena in stunned silence. She didn’t know what they had expected, Helena’s frustration had been building the longer this had gone on.

“I’m done.” Helena was pacing again - faster and more erratically than she had outside. This time, Dinah offered her no comfort. Helena had to get this out of her system. “I’m fucking done.” She stopped long enough to look at Oliver and Renee with fire in her eyes. “I don’t think this is a good idea—and I never have. But I agreed to it because of you, and what do we have to show for it? Fucking nothing!” Helena's face was starting to turn red. “I’m  _ done.  _ I don’t care.”

Oliver, thankfully, kept his mouth shut. Renee, with her mouth agape, looked at Dinah for help.

“Dinah—.”

“No no,” Dinah held her hands up. She had no intentions of getting involved. “I…actually agree with her.”

Helena wasn’t finished, and Dinah wasn’t even sure Helena had heard her and Renee say anything. “I will go—meet the Penguin—one more time. That’s all you get. You either find out what he’s doing, or he shoots me—whatever fucking happens.”

Helena slammed her hands down on the table and Dinah raised her eyebrows.

“No matter  _ what _ happens—because I’m starting to think you don’t actually care—I’m washing my hands of responsibility.”

“Helena,” Renee tried again, “It’ll be fine—.”

“For  _ you. _ ” Helena snapped, “Because you’re not the one that gets wheeled out like a fucking show pony.”

Dinah reached up to rub her forehead as Helena stormed over to the door. She knew Helena had to get her anger out somehow - and this was far better than her holding it in. They could handle the fallout later.

“When Starling calls me back,” Helena’s voice had lost some of its volume, but still held its bitterness. “You better be ready to follow me to the lounge. This is your last shot. Fuck you guys.”

One slammed door later, and Helena was gone. Dinah let out a sigh, looking at where Helena had just been. She would have to give Helena some time to calm down before she went after her.

Then the waiting game began to see who would speak first following Helena’s absence. Oliver seemed completely unwilling to say  _ anything,  _ so Dinah didn’t expect it to be him. _. _

“We need to do something about her temper.” Renee said matter-of-factly.

“Do we?” Dinah countered, more than a little angry. “Because you guys would have seen this coming if you had been paying attention.”

Renee looked at her in disbelief. “So you really agree with her?”

“Yes.” She knew Helena’s nerves were shot. She didn’t want to push her any further. “ _ We _ have known from the beginning that she didn’t want to do this.”

“Okay, so what if we  _ do _ find something?” Renee asked. “She says she’s done.”

Dinah knew what Renee  _ wanted  _ her to say, but she wasn’t going to give in. 

“I’m not telling Helena to do anything.” Dinah replied firmly. She didn’t want there to be any room for question. “She’s done. Full stop.” Renee might not like it, but as far as Dinah was concerned that was all there was to it. “Like I said, I agree with her. If this doesn’t pan out, I’m done too.”

“Really? Just like that?”

“Yes. Because we’ve spent too much time on this. Yes, we’re finding breadcrumbs, but...it’s a lot of work for nothing.” Renee sighed, but she had to realize what this was doing to Helena. “Especially since Helena is doing most of the work.”

“Fine.” Renee shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, but whatever.”

“You  _ heard _ Helena, right?” Dinah wanted to be sure. “Something about this doesn’t sit right with her. I don’t know why, but if she’s nervous—well, you can bet your ass I’m paying attention. We’ve spent too much time talking her into things she doesn’t want to do.”

Dinah stopped and looked at Oliver, who was sitting with his arms crossed, eyes widened with surprise.

“That includes you, Ollie.” When Dinah said his name he quirked a brow. “You’re not getting out of this.” He may have apologized, but not for  _ this,  _ and he was just as guilty as the rest of them.

He had no argument though. “Okay—absolutely. We’ll see what happens and go from there.”

“Are you just trying to keep Helena from  _ actually  _ breaking your jaw?”

She meant it as a joke, mostly. “Mmm….” Oliver tilted his head to the side and pressed his lips into a thin line. “Yeah...let’s go ahead and avoid that if we can.”

Dinah managed to laugh. Renee, who was massaging her temples, was not as amused.

“Are you going to go after her?”

When Renee asked, Dinah looked at her and shrugged. “Nope.” She would talk to Helena when she decided to come home, no sooner. There was plenty of time to talk. “She needs time to cool off. If I go now, it might make it worse.”

“I’m guessing dinner is off the table.”

“Probably.” With Dinah being what was likely the  _ only  _ exception, Helena would want to be alone. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”

“This can’t be healthy, Dinah.”

“I’m not getting into that.” Helena’s anger might not be something Dinah always understood, but she wasn’t going to try and explain it to Renee “We all have something. You drink, I smoke. It’s one of those things.”

Renee pinched the bridge of her nose. “Not the same.”

As far as Dinah was concerned, it was close enough. She stood from her seat and felt for her car keys. 

“I’m going home.”

Dinah expected some form of protest, but she received none. Instead, Oliver was nodding.

“Yeah. Today’s probably a wash. Back at it tomorrow?”

Dinah shrugged. Tomorrow probably wasn’t happening, but that depended entirely on Helena.

“We’ll see.”

* * *

_ Why can’t I just go inside? _

Dinah’s car was parked on the street, so Helena knew she was home. The pizza delivery guy Helena had seen leaving as she walked up also meant that Dinah had probably ordered dinner.

And there Helena stayed, on the sidewalk.

Renee’s car was nowhere to be seen, which Helena hoped meant she had skipped out on coming over for dinner. It was better to be alone, for now. She could apologize for her outburst later - when she was no longer angry.

Most of the anger was gone now. Some of it was still buried in her chest like a low-burning flame, and it never went out, not really. Helena knew her frustration wouldn’t go away overnight, either. All she could do is try to control her temper better. Unfortunately, that was a work in progress. 

Looking up, Helena could see their broken bedroom window. She let out a sigh and made a mental note to call someone to come fix it later.

She was running out of reasons to stay outside - as if she’d had a good excuse to begin with.  _ Dinah might be worried.  _ That was the only push Helena needed to begin the trek upstairs.

Helena had spent most of the afternoon riding her bike around Gotham. She’d had no real destination - with nowhere suitable for her to go and clear her head. Not that it mattered, the time on the road had been adequate.

Helena didn’t know why she dreaded going home. It wasn’t Dinah, it couldn’t be. But as soon as Helena rested her hand on the doorknob, she hesitated.

_ There’s no one else here. Not even Harley. _

If she was being honest with herself, it was only because she didn’t want to talk. But Dinah had never pushed her Helena to talk before, why would she start now?

The door was unlocked, and Helena hesitantly let herself in. There was pizza on the kitchen counter, the boxes closed and seemingly untouched.

Helena was hungry, but would worry about food later. Her shoulders felt heavy, her body tired despite not actually having a reason to be. She ignored both of these things, focusing on her search for Dinah.

Helena didn’t have to look very far. Dinah was sitting on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her. She was already dressed for bed. Helena tread quietly, not wanting to disturb her. On the television, Dinah was watching a paranormal investigation show - Helena thought it was silly, but she had caught Dinah watching it more than once. 

Not wanting to scare her, Helena cleared her throat. Unflinching, Dinah turned her head, and when she saw Helena she smiled.

“There you are.” Dinah said softly. Almost instantly, Helena felt the weight lifting off her shoulders. “I was starting to wonder if I needed to come looking for you.”

“Sorry.” Helena said it on instinct, knowing she’d been gone a while.

“Mmhmm.” Dinah patted the seat next to her. “Come on.”

Helena sighed and shuffled over to the couch to claim her spot beside Dinah.

“Hungry?”

Helena managed a shrug. She  _ was,  _ but Helena didn’t see it as a pressing issue. Dinah watched her with a sidelong glance for a moment before she unfolded her legs and stood up.

Dinah moved wordlessly into the kitchen. Helena looked at the television, able to see her reflection in the screen as the show cut to black. When Dinah returned, she held a plate that had a few pieces of pizza stacked on top of it. Helena reached for a piece when the plate was offered to her, which seemed to placate Dinah.

Once Dinah returned to her spot on the couch, they sat together and ate in silence. As the minutes dragged on, Helena half-expected Dinah to at least  _ ask _ if she wanted to talk. It was somewhat relieving that Dinah hadn’t pressed the issue.

Helena wasn’t surprised, the longer she thought about it. Dinah had become her peace. When Helena was ready to talk, she could do so freely. Whether she spoke or not, Dinah would be there.

When they finished eating, the plate was abandoned on the coffee table, and Dinah reached for her hand. All the words Helena wanted to say were caught in her throat, so she did her best to slow her mind and try to concentrate on the presence of Dinah’s hand.

Dinah was gingerly brushing her thumb over Helena’s knuckles. Glancing down at their joined hands, Helena could see the bruises there from where she had attacked Oliver.

There had already been an apology for that. Helena had no desire to dwell on it - but she couldn’t convince her mind to let it go. There was too much going on - too much to worry about. Helena wanted nothing more than a quiet evening with nothing to do or think about.

Several minutes passed before she gave up on trying to simply ignore it. With a sigh, she moved over so she could stretch out on the couch. Resting her head in Dinah’s lap came next, and she heard Dinah chuckle quietly to herself as Helena got comfortable.

“Better?” Dinah teased.

Helena hummed in response. She wasn’t sure yet. She kept her attention on the television, though she hadn’t kept up with what was happening.

Dinah’s fingers gradually made their way into Helena’s hair. When she began massaging Helena’s scalp, Helena’s eyes closed and her breathing slowed as she felt herself begin to relax.

“Do you want me to invite Harley and Cass over?”

She was surprised that Dinah offered. “Maybe not the best idea”

“Didn’t know if you’d want the distraction or not.”

Another time, Helena might have said yes. But today Harley's specific brand of shenanigans might prove to be too much. 

_ I don’t want to snap at her too _

“Dinah?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry,” Helena murmured. “For earlier.”

The hand in her hair grew still. “It’s not like you did anything wrong.”

“Feels like I did.”

“Why?” Helena didn’t know the answer to that question. “All you did was voice your frustrations.”

“I guess.”

“Well, if it helps, I agree with you.” Dinah spoke in a soothing tone as her hands went back to work. “I think we went about this the wrong way. Plus we didn’t really listen the first time you said something was off.”

“But does it actually change anything?”

She heard Dinah sigh. “We’ll see when Starling calls.”

“And after?”

Dinah’s hand smoothed Helena’s hair back. “Like you said, Helena. Whatever happens, we’re not chasing this anymore.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Of course.” Dinah sounded so  _ sure.  _ The relief that came with knowing Dinah was on her side was indescribable. “Even if you  _ weren’t  _ uncomfortable - and I know you are - I agree that we’re wasting time on this.” Helena focused on listening. “Sure we know the Penguin is moving something, but we can’t prove anything concrete. We can’t do this forever.”

“What about Renee?” Helena owed her an apology. Anything less was out of the question. “What do I do?”

Dinah took a while to respond. “You can talk to her later.”

“Okay.” That decision meant Helena didn’t have to worry about it tonight, and that Renee would have time to think about what Helena had said.

“Oliver assumed tomorrow wasn’t happening.” Dinah added. “Didn’t figure you’d be in the mood.”

“Maybe.” Was all Helena could say. If it were up to her  _ now,  _ the answer would be no. But she would hold out to see what the morning brought.

She turned onto her back, giving up on the television entirely so she could look up at Dinah.

“Thank you.”

Dinah tilted her head down to look at Helena with confusion. “What for?”

Helena wasn’t sure how she wanted to explain it. There were many things she wanted to say, but she settled on the simplest.

“This has all been...a lot to deal with.” Helena spoke as seriously as she was able. “But you’ve handled all this better than I have — you’ve been incredible.” She meant it honestly. “Way more patient than I am.”

Dinah was laughing when she leaned down and kissed Helena’s forehead.

“Baby you weren’t in the car with Oliver and Harley.”

“When it broke down?”

“Mmhmm.” Dinah grinned at her. “You didn’t hear what I said to that man. Patient isn’t the word I’d use.”

Helena couldn’t say she was surprised - especially if Oliver had been running his mouth - even though his apology  _ had  _ been accepted.

“Patient with  _ me,  _ then.” Helena clarified. 

This only drew out more of Dinah’s laughter. “That’s easy, H. You’re not an ass, even if you do have anger issues.”

“I do not.” Helena objected, albeit playfully. After the last twenty-four hours she didn’t have much of a counter-argument.

Dinah rolled her eyes. “Okay.”

“I love you.”

Helena watched a smile slowly creep onto Dinah’s face. Seeing her happiness warmed Helena’s heart, and helped her forget the world for a while.

“And I love you.” Dinah replied.

Gradually, silence fell between them and Dinah’s attention drifted back toward the television. Helena turned back over, trying to see what was so interesting.

“How do you watch this?” Helena asked. Between the night-vision on the camera and their erratic movements, she could barely focus on what was happening, let alone worry about ‘ghosts’.

“I don’t know, I just like it.” Helena hadn’t expected much of an answer, so this was as good as any. “Why?” Dinah teased. “Don’t believe in ghosts?”

Helena hummed her disapproval. “No.” It was easier to not. Her family had spent enough time haunting her dreams, she didn’t want to think about them genuinely haunting anything else.

Dinah caught on quickly. “Wanna change the channel?”

“No.” It didn’t bother Helena, it just wasn’t interesting. “You like it—.”

“—and you don’t. That’s good enough for me.”

Helena shrugged one shoulder. “Not enough to change the channel. It’s fine, promise.” Her eyelids were growing heavy, so soon it wouldn’t matter what was on the television anyway.

Despite not being able to see Dinah’s face now, Helena felt her roll her eyes again. Dinah did make a grab for the remote, but instead of changing the channel she turned the volume down slightly. Helena’s eyes closed once more, letting the noise coming from the television fade into the background. If she really wanted, she knew she could simply get up and go somewhere else. But regardless of what they were doing, she was more than happy so long as she was with Dinah.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 15 will be here next Wednesday. Thank you guys so much!


	15. On the Ropes

_ The trail was nearly overgrown now. Helena cautiously ducked under a low-hanging branch, but continued forward. She’d grown up in these woods, and was confident she still knew the way to the river.  _

_ This untouched portion of the forest that surrounded their home had always been Helena’s favorite playground. Tomasso and Sal had never been fond of Helena wandering too far, but she had never gone farther than the river. _

_ Helena walked slowly, trying to re-acclimate to her surroundings. It had been a long time since she’d come out this far, and as her mind struggled to remember the trail beneath the undergrowth, her heart urged her forward. _

_ Some things remained and despite the time that had passed, Helena was able to identify a few familiar landmarks. The first was a pair of large, flat stones that lay in the middle of the footpath. Under them Helena had found dozens of worms and other creepy crawlers throughout the years. Once, she’d even found a lizard. _

_ From there she eventually found the fence that steered the trail toward the river. According to Tomasso, the fence had been built by his grandfather. Helena had never known him, and all that was left of his fence was a few collapsed planks of wood - moss covered and rotting. _

_ She was almost to the clearing, now. That was a good sign because it meant she was halfway to the river. Were she to turn around, it would only take her ten minutes to return home, where she was sure Sal and Tomasso would be waiting to scold her. _

_ The clearing was one of Helena’s favorite places to sit and think. It’s most appealing feature was the wide oak stump that she sometimes liked to sit on or lean against. _

_ Today, something else was waiting for her. As Helena entered the clearing, she caught sight of movement near the stump. _

_ Upon closer inspection she found Poocho, Sal’s sable-colored German Shepherd. He was circling the stump, furiously sniffing the ground. _

_ Helena whistled through her teeth, smiling to herself when his head whipped up at attention. _

_ “Poocho, come.” _

_ The dog broke into a dead sprint, crossing the clearing in a matter of seconds. Helena braced herself for impact, but it did little to stop the one-hundred pounds of fur that collided into her. She fell backward, laughing despite the full weight of the dog standing on her chest. Excitedly he lapped at her face, whining loudly and resisting her attempts at pushing him off. _

_ When she had finally had enough of his affections she snapped her fingers, speaking to him in a firm voice. “Poocho. Down.” _

_ Reluctantly, Poocho backed off of Helena and laid down. Despite his energy, he remained obedient. He lay there waiting, allowing Helena to stand back up and dust herself off. His tail beat feverishly side to side, his eyes never leaving her. _

_ Confident he would not move unless she allowed it, Helena raised her brow. “Poocho?” _

_ He whined, his rear legs adjusting so that he was playfully bowed before her.  _

_ Laughing, she knelt down and ruffled his ears. “I’ve missed you too.” She looked around, surprised he was alone. “Where’s Sal?” _

_ She asked the question as if he could answer, knowing that he couldn’t. There was no sign of Sal, but her eyes caught the gap in the trees where the trail picked up again.  _

_ Standing, she patted her leg for Poocho to follow as she began to walk again. Sal never came out this way, and was likely still at home. Obediently Poocho fell in beside her, the top of his head brushing against her fingertips as she walked.  _

_ It wasn’t much farther, now. There had always been an appeal to visiting the river when she was younger. Between the cold chill of the water on her toes when she dipped her feet in, to the peaceful chorus of noises from the woods, this place had always held a sense of magic and wonder for her. _

_ Coming upon the river, Helena felt at home. It was a place so entrained in her memory that she felt it had always been a part of her.  _

_ She was particularly fond of the shallows that lay at the trails end. Here, the water slowed to barely a murmur, this part of the river hardly deeper than her calves. _

_ Helena couldn’t remember the last time she had been here, and found herself eagerly taking her shoes and socks off, ready to be in the water.  _

_ She quickly rolled her pants legs up, and braced herself for the cold as she took her first steps into the water. The first contact was always the worst. _

_ Once she adjusted to the temperature, she stepped further in. Poocho began pacing the bank of the river, watching her carefully. It occurred to her that she’d never been out this far with him before, though so far he showed no intention of getting in the water. _

_ Helena bent over and began looking at the stones buried in the riverbed. Some were brightly colored and shimmered as the water carried the sunlight over them. _

_ A whistle came from somewhere past the river, and by the time Helena had even realized what she’d heard, Poocho had launched himself into the water and was heading toward the opposite bank. _

_ “Hey.” Helena laughed. “Where are you going?” _

_ Poocho made it to the other side and shook the water out of his coat before another whistle came. He let out a bark in reply and made a mad dash toward the treeline. Once out of sight, Helena could still hear him barking. _

_ Leaving her shoes abandoned on the other side, Helena decided to follow him. The grass felt nice beneath her feet as she climbed onto the riverbank. The only problem she faced was that she had never been on this side of the river before. With no idea where to go, she had to rely on the steadily fading sound of Poocho barking in the distance. _

_ She tried to move quickly, jogging through the woods as she tried to catch up with him. There wasn’t time for her to stop and get a sense of where she was, or how far away from the river she had gotten. Her only choice was to keep moving. _

_ After a few minutes, she couldn’t hear Poocho anymore. That was worrying, but she pressed on in the hopes that he would start up again. Even when she called his name, she was met with silence. _

_ There was a narrow trail she was following, with a steep drop off to one side. Helena tried to be careful as she ran ahead, mindful that one misstep would send her tumbling down into the trench below. _

_ Despite her care, the ground was soft and damp, and gave way under her weight near one of the steepest sections. Helena slid and rolled down the embankment, hitting the bottom of the trench with a heavy thud. _

_ Nothing felt broken, but she was cautious when she sat up. The world spun in circles around her as she began gingerly testing her limbs for breaks. _

_ “Fuck.” She grumbled under her breath. _

_ Helena was able to push herself to her feet, but there would be no climbing back up to the trail from here. _

_ The good thing was that she could faintly hear Poocho. That meant that either she was now closer to him, or he had turned around. Either were a good sign, as far as she was concerned. She was hopeful that she would be able to find him from here, so she set out along the trench and tried to find a way out. _

_ With every second that passed , Poocho’s barking grew louder and more frantic. The deep trench was muddy, and each step Helena took only slowed her down as her feet got stuck in the mud underfoot. _

_ She felt miles from home now. But she would worry about getting home later, once she had found Poocho. _

_ Though it never stopped, the sound of his bark had begun to change. It was sharper now, a higher pitch, as if Poocho was in pain. _

_ Helena had to find him. If the dog was hurt, Sa would never forgive her. But she was so close. Poocho’s yelping had reached a fever-pitch, the chaos he was creating the only thing Helena could hear now. _

_ There was a bend in the trench, and as Helena rounded the corner Poocho began to make a strangled, quacking sound. The change sent a chill down her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. _

_ “Poocho?” She tried to call out to him one last time, blindly turning the corner and colliding into something heavy - a man. _

_ “Fuck, sorry—.” Helena tried to apologize. _

_ “Where the hell have you been, Helena?” Sal’s voice surprised her, barely audible over the dogs deafening quacks. _

_ “Sal?” _

_ “Have you seen Poocho?” _

_ The answer, a ‘yes’, never left her throat. A single gunshot rang out, silencing both of them. Wide-eyed and pale, Sal took a staggered step backwards and lifted his hand to his chest. “Sal?” _

_ When his eyes lowered, Helena looked at her hands. In them she held an umbrella, a plume of smoke spilling from its tip. Looking to Sal for an explanation, she saw blood pouring from his lips, his shirt and hand now stained red. _

_ “Sal?!” She threw the umbrella down and stumbled forward, trying to catch him as he collapsed. Helena hit her knees as he dropped to the ground, turning him over and trying to put pressure on the wound. “No no no.” Helena choked out a sob as her hands became soaked with Sal’s blood. _

_ Shakily Sal reached up with his bloodied hand and cupped Helena’s cheek. “Helena…” He whispered her name hoarsely, barely able to breathe. “What have you done?” _

_ “I didn’t—I don’t know—Don’t.” She pleaded. “Don’t leave me. Please.” _

_ Sal’s last breath left him as a gasp, and the dam in her chest burst. Cradling Sal in her arms, she lowered a kiss to his forehead as her chest began to shake as she tried to contain her tears. She was now completely alone. _

_ Poocho was gone, but now Helena recognized the sound that had replaced him. The Penguin was laughing, taking pleasure from her pain. And as the tears streamed down her cheeks, his laughter threatened to consume everything. _

_ “Excellent job,” The Penguin crooned from behind her. “I knew I liked you.” _

* * *

Waking up before Helena used to be a rare occurrence, but it was beginning to happen more and more lately. Not that Dinah would complain, especially if it meant that Helena was sleeping more. She had a habit of running on as little sleep necessary, but slowly that had begun to change.

She was cute when she slept, Dinah would give her that. This morning in particular, Dinah had been laying there beside Helena for several minutes. Helena was laying on her side, her body curled toward Dinah. Though they had drifted apart in their sleep, Helena’s arm was still reaching out for Dinah, her fingers limply resting on Dinah’s hip. Her face was relaxed, as it should be. The last few days had been particularly rough on Helena and Dinah was glad that in sleep Helena was free of the frown that had been plaguing her.

Dinah was in no hurry to disturb her. Slipping out of bed, Dinah left Helena alone, only to grab a glass of water. The apartment was cool and dark and what little natural light came through the windows of the living room was pale and soft. It was still early morning as best as she could tell, which meant she had no qualms about returning to bed when she was finished and sleeping the remainder of the morning away.

That was entirely reliant on Helena, of course. If their most recent trend continued, Helena would be already awake, though groggy, and waiting for Dinah to come back to bed.

As she filled her glass with water from the sink, she caught herself smiling. Dinah had to admit there was something special about this time of morning. The same could be said about late late night. Both times, when the world was still and quiet and Dinah could be wholly alone with Helena. The time of day became irrelevant so long as they were together and time passed so quickly it was becoming hard to keep track. Minutes and hours with Helena never felt wasted though. 

Dinah drank her water slowly, still feeling the pull of sleep. Helena would want to talk - to apologize - to Renee at some point today. She didn’t plan on rushing that conversation, but it would be good to prepare for it. Helena had already gotten the outburst out of her system. There was no reason to expect another. Dinah still kept her fingers crossed, just in case.

That would be hours away, though, and for now Dinah had other priorities. She left her glass in the sink once she was finished, then slowly returned to the bedroom. To her surprise, Helena was still sleeping, though something had changed.

Helena’s arms were now pulled closely toward her chest, her hands balled into fists. Her face was drawn into a tight frown, from the crease in her brow to the downward turn of her lips.

“Helena?” Dinah said her name quietly from the doorway. “You up?”

Were she awake, Helena would have answered, even if it was nothing more than a grumble. Instead, Helena shifted her head side to side, her eyes clenched shut. If she was still sleeping she wasn't dreaming of anything pleasant.

Carefully Dinah eased back into bed beside her. She studied Helena’s face for several seconds after she got settled, hoping that given some time, Helena would be relieved.

“Sal?” Helena murmured it so quietly Dinah almost missed it entirely. Something followed, a jumble of slurred syllables that were completely unintelligible. A sharp intake of breath caught in Helena’s throat, though within seconds she had released it. What followed was a series of shallow breaths, a far cry from the rhythmic steady breathing Dinah was used to. 

Dinah couldn’t take it anymore. Reaching out, she brushed Helena’s hair out of her face and tried to speak to her again. “Helena, baby, come on.” Dinah soothed, tucking a strand of hair behind Helena’s ear. “Wake up.” 

Dinah brought her hand down to cup Helena’s cheek, lightly tapping her face with her fingers. When that didn’t work, “Helena.” Dinah repeated loudly, “Come on.”

Helena’s eyes shot open - and Helena flinched at Dinah’s touch. Her pupils wide with fear. In one quick motion Helena sat straight up in the bed, breathless.

“Hey.” Dinah crooned as Helena glanced around the room. “It’s okay.”

It took a while for Helena to look at her, but when she realized Dinah was with her, her breathing began to slow, and she began to lower her guard.

“You okay?” Dinah asked, though she already suspected she knew the answer.

Helena shook her head, pawing away the tears in her eyes with the heel of her palm.

“Do you want to-”

“No.”

‘Talk about it’ had been at the tip of Dinah’s tongue. “Okay.” She instead opted on trying something else entirely, reaching out and rubbing Helena's back in an attempt to soothe her.

Helena pulled her knees up to her chest tightly wrapping her arms around them. She was scowling.

This time, she didn’t pull away from Dinah’s touch.  _ That’s a good sign. _ Helena’s eyes closed, and she leaned forward to rest her chin on her knees. Dinah sighed, but continued to message slow circles between Helena’s shoulder blades.

“Dinah.” Helena whispered her name, her head turning just enough so she could glance at Dinah from the corner of her eye.

“Yes?”

“What do you dream about?”

Dinah didn’t remember most of her dreams once she woke up. The ones she did were all the same. “I dream about my mother.” They felt more like memories than actual dreams, but it had begun to blur together.

“Are they nice?”

“Yes” Whe Helena sighed, Dinah nudged her a little. “Come here.”

With some reluctance, Helena laid back down rolling onto her side so she was facing Dinah. Cupping Helena’s cheek in her hand, Dinah smiled.

“Was it Sal? I heard you say his name.”

“Yeah.” Helena gave a jerky nod and blinked away remnants of tears. “I-I don't want to get into it. Just a dream.”

“Alright.” It was better not to ask and if it bothered Helena this badly, Dinah didn’t want to make her experience it again.

Helena was watching her, but she grew still and quiet, her mind seemingly a world away from Dinah and their bedroom. She would come back eventually. She wasn’t doing it as often lately, but that didn’t stop Dinah from wishing she knew what Helena was thinking.

A few minutes later, Helena seemed to snap out of it. Scooting down in the bed, Helena folded herself over and allowed her head to rest on Dinah’s stomach. The move was a grab for comfort, which Dinah would not deny her. Draping her arm across Helena’s shoulder, she smiled again when she felt Helena squeeze her.

“Do you remember what her voice sounded like?” Helena’s question took her by surprise. Usually when people asked Dinah about her mother it was never something like this.

“I do.” Dinah replied after giving it some thought.

Her reply was met by the silence that followed a deep shaky breath from Helena.

“Why?” She had a guess, but she knew from her own life that Helena probably wouldn’t like to be asked. The information wasn’t Dinah’s to take, but could only be given freely when Helena decided she was ready.

Eventually, she was.

“I’m starting to forget.”

She worked her fingers into Helena’s hair, hoping that the gentle combing could suitably distract her. “Time does that.” It might not be the best thing for Helena to hear, but it was the truth. “I’ll forget one day too.”

“It’s all in pieces.” Helena murmured. “The only thing that hasn’t changed is the day they died. I still see it when I sleep.”

Dinah didn’t want to think of how badly that had to torture Helena. This was one pain Dinah wouldn’t be able to take away, no matter how badly she wanted to.

“I’ve always had Sal. But, it’s never been him before.”

She still hadn’t told Dinah what had happened in her dream, but she likely wouldn’t. “You love him a lot, huh?”

“Yeah. But...I know he’s okay, at home.”

“Do you want to call him?”

“Maybe later.”

“You sure?” If it brought Helena even a little relief, it would be worth it.

“Mmhmm, just a dream.”

Dream or not, Helena continued to hold onto Dinah, while Dinah continued to steadily stroke her hair. Dinah began humming a tune her mother had taught her. She’d long since forgotten the words. But the melody never changed.

She hummed through the whole song twice, closing her eyes and feeling the notes rumble from her throat. Dinah would have been content to hum until Helena found sleep again, but the sound of Helena chuckling to herself caused Dinah’s hand to still.

“What?”

“When I first moved to Sicily, Sal would sing to me at night. To help me sleep.” Helena sat up with a smile on her lips when she looked down at Dinah. “Just funny that’s all.”

“I have other ways of distracting you, you know.”

“Will I need my earplugs?”

Before Helena got a chance to duck, Dinah slapped her. “Ow.” Helena laughed, covering her cheek. Her shit-eating grin was sign enough that Dinah hadn’t hurt her. When Dinah pulled back to pop her again, Helena grabbed her wrist and tried to use the opportunity to squirm out of reach.

“I don’t think so.” Dinah said over the sound of Helena’s giggling.

A shove sent Helena rolling onto her back, and as Dinah climbed on top of her, Helena brought her hands up to shield her face.

She never stopped laughing, “Mercy! Uncle!” Dinah grabbed a pillow, roughly catching the side of Helena’s head with it.

“I surrender!”

“Ass.” Dinah laughed.

Helena waited until Dinah had dropped the pillow back onto the bed before she cautiously peered between her fingers. “Done?”

“Move and let’s find out.” She was straddling Helena’s waist, looking down at her expectantly. When Helena lowered her hands, her cheeks were flushed. Dinah planted her hands on either side of Helena’s head, leaning forward to kiss her. Helena was still smiling. She might have wanted to go back to sleep a few minutes ago, but this wasn’t a bad alternative.

The phone ringing on the nightstand had other plans. Dinah let out a sigh, letting her head come to rest against Helena’s forehead.

“Who... on  _ Earth _ …” Helena grumbled. “What time is it?”

Leaning to one side to reach for the phone - Helena’s - Dinah found the answer to the first question. “Starling.”

Any remaining laughter Helena had died, and within seconds the playful light in her eyes was gone. In the blink of an eye her whole demeanor had changed. Dinah offered the phone to her, though she didn’t expect Helena to answer.

Slowly, Helena reached and took the phone from her. A swipe of her thumb passed across the screen and Helena lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

As Dinah listened, Helena’s free hand came to rest on Dinah’s thigh. “No, I was awake.” There was no emotion to her voice, no enthusiasm whatsoever.

Dinah bit her lip to keep from sighing. She put her hand over Helena’s and tried to give her a comforting squeeze.

_ She doesn’t want to do this. _

A crease appeared between Helena’s brows. “Tonight? Yeah, no of course. Tonight-- Tonight is fine. What time?”

It would have been beneficial to actually  _ hear _ the other half of the conversation, but Helena would be repeating all the pertinent information anyway.

The conversation quickly devolved into Helena cycling through various combinations of ‘okay’, ‘yeah’, and ‘mmhmm’.

_ She looks so unhappy. _ It was nothing new, but they’d both known that this phone call was coming. The timing was admittedly strange, but there was nothing they could do to change that.

Ten ‘okay’s’ later, Helena promised, “ Yeah I’ll be there. Yep. Got it.”

The goodbye that followed was quick and seemingly pointless. As the phone was pulled away, Helena glanced at the time and groaned. “It’s fucking seven-thirty.”

“Mmm. What’d she want?”

Helena handed the phone back to Dinah, allowing her to put it away. “Penguin is having a meeting.”

“When?”

“Eight-thirty. Tonight.”

“Okay. Now what?”

There was no use calling Renee this early, though she would have to be told. Oliver too.

Helena was looking up, her gaze caught by something just over Dinah’s shoulder. “I don’t want to go.” She said quietly.

“Hey.”

When Helena didn’t look at her, Dinah took Helena’s face in her hands, softly stroking her cheek to get her attention.

“This is the last time, remember?”

Helena sighed heavily, but she nodded.

“No matter what.” Dinah kissed Helena’s forehead. “Promise.”

It wasn’t much, especially without knowing how the day would go on. But Dinah wasn’t going to put Helena through this anymore. “Come on.” Any hope of returning to sleep was now long gone, and Helena was too distracted for anything else. “Lets go make breakfast.”

* * *

Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time since Dinah had left, Helena continued to stare up at the ceiling. She was lying on her back on the living room floor, hands folded across her stomach. The ceiling fan spun slowly above her. The light was off, but the globe that held it wobbled out of balance as the blades continued to turn.

Staying down here didn’t resolve anything, and it didn’t even  _ really  _ make her feel better. But Helena couldn’t convince herself that moving from her current spot was worth it. She would get up when Dinah called, no sooner.

She wasn’t even sure exactly how long Dinah had been gone. She had left saying something about meeting Renee, and had promised to call. With that call, Helena had planned to join them wherever they were. Until then she was alone with her thoughts - and had lost track of time.

_ I’m sure Dinah will call soon.  _ It  _ felt  _ like it would be soon. She wasn’t feeling much of anything else at the moment, but the phone call was something she expected, something concrete. Dinah  _ would  _ call, if only because she said she would. Helena found comfort in that reliability.

Starling’s call that morning had effectively ruined Helena’s whole day. Now all she could do was wait here until it was time to return to the Iceberg Lounge. She didn’t  _ want  _ to, but she had given her word. Despite her reservations - and there were many - when it was time, Helena would go.

If the waiting didn’t kill her first.

Someone was rattling the doorknob. Helena hadn’t heard anyone coming up the stairs, which was unusual for her. She turned her head to watch the door, but didn’t bother getting up. If someone was really putting out the effort to break into their apartment, she would deal with them if they managed to get inside. Of course, she knew there was another, more likely option than some random burglar.

_ It’s probably Harley. _

There were muffled voices behind the door, but Helena paid them no mind. She couldn’t make them out well enough from here. When the door finally opened, she heard them properly.

“Told you you were doing it wrong.” Cass said with a laugh.

Helena looked up in time to see Harley roll her eyes. “Sure thing, kid.”

They hadn’t seen her yet, but the open living room gave Helena nowhere to hide.

“What the fuck are you two doing?” Helena asked flatly.

Harley and Cass had two starkly contrasting reactions upon hearing her voice. Cass, who was unaffected, merely arched a brow. Harley, however, nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Holy shit, Helena! Warn me—.”

“What’re you doing on the floor?” Cass’ face was scrunched up as she walked around Harley and glanced around the room. 

“Oh, you know. Hanging out.”

“Where’s Dinah?”

Helena shrugged. “With Renee.”

Cass didn’t question this, carefully walking around Helena and falling onto the couch. Moments later, Helena had Harley standing over top of her, looking down with the same confusion Cass had.

“The floor, huh?”

“You still haven’t told me why you’re both in my house.”

“Can’t we visit?”

“You  _ broke in.” _

Harley mulled this over for a few seconds before shrugging and then lying down next to Helena on the floor. “Technicality.”

“Harley.”

“Can I offer you a well-thought out and flawlessly presented lie, or—.”

“That would require  _ thought.” _

Cass snickered from the couch, and Helena caught herself flinching as Harley punched her shoulder.

“That’s okay,” Helena added. “I’ll just figure it out on my own—.”

“We forgot to buy groceries.”

“ _ Buy.  _ Okay.”

“Ass.”

“So you two broke into my house to raid my fridge, and I’m the ass?”

“Yup.”

Helena rolled her eyes and went back to staring at the ceiling fan. Harley would do what she wanted, there was no changing that.

“If you guys are cooking dinner tonight we could just stay and hang out with you.” Cass offered.

Before Helena could even open her mouth, she could hear Oliver chastising her for what she was about to do.

“Can’t. I’ve got a meeting with the Penguin tonight. We’ll all be busy.”

Harley twisted in the floor beside her and propped up on one elbow so that she could look at Helena better.

“What’s he want?”

“Don’t know yet.”

“When ya goin’?”

Helena sighed. “Eight-thirty.”

“Want us ta go too?”

“ _ No.” _

“Why?” Harley arched a brow. “Don’tcha trust me?”

Helena said nothing. The answer fluctuated often: yes-no- _ maybe.  _ With this, she wasn't so sure.

“S’that why we’re layin’ in the floor?”

“Sort of.”

Again, it wasn’t  _ helping.  _ But it wasn’t like she had anything else to do.

“We can help, ya know.”

Helena gave it little thought, simply giving Harley the answer that Renee and Oliver would prefer. “I think we’ve got it on our own.”

She didn’t believe it, not even for a second. But Harley might do more harm than good if she were involved. With another sigh, Helena pushed herself off the floor. Once standing, she offered Harley her hand.

Pouting, Harley took it and allowed Helena to pull her to her feet. “I can’t believe ya don’t trust me.”

“It’s not—it’s not like that. I never said that.”

“So ya  _ do?” _

_ Never said that either. _

Helena simply looked at Harley and let her shoulders slump. This wasn’t the easiest of questions. Not right now.

Harley chewed on her lip and nodded. “So it’s like that, huh.”

“Harley—this is different.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

Helena didn’t know what to say to that, but she didn’t want to hurt Harley’s feelings.

“Look...I do trust you—but—.”  _ Please be good.  _ “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

It took some time for the words to sink in, but then Harley’s face split open with a wide grin. She threw her arms around Helena and hugged her tightly - quick to let go before Helena could remove her. “When have I ever—.” She stopped and pointed her finger at Cass as a warning. “Don’t answer that.”

Helena knew the answer anyway, and there were probably plenty of other ideas that Harley had had that she didn’t know of. She just didn’t have time to open that can of worms today.

“I’ve gotta go.” There was no point in putting it off any longer, whether Dinah called or not. She still had to talk to Renee. “Eat whatever you want. Lock the door when you leave.”

Harley gave her a mock-salute. “Aye-aye.”

“Stay out of trouble.” She knew this would fall on deaf ears. “ _ Please.” _

* * *

The high-rise skyscraper where Oliver kept his office had not changed much in the years since Dinah had last visited. Though she did notice that he’d put new rugs in the lobby, a rich emerald green color. She  _ thought  _ they were new, she couldn’t remember.

The receptionist  _ was  _ new, and when Dinah walked by the desk without so much as a word, she looked up from her computer confused.

“Ma’am you need an appointment.”

“I’ve got one, thanks.”

It was a lie, of course. But Dinah wasn’t about to waste her breath calling Oliver and telling him to let her upstairs when she could take herself to his office on her own. She’d only stopped by on a whim anyway, it wasn’t like she needed anything terribly important.

She was in the elevator before the receptionist could question her any further. The fact that she still knew the way to his office after all this time was a little surprising, especially considering all her efforts to forget. She  _ was  _ significantly less angry though.

The smaller lobby outside of his office was empty, including the desk where his secretary was usually found. Dinah could have taken this as a sign that Oliver wasn’t in, but she knew him better than that.

She pushed through the double doors into his office, pleased to find them both unlocked. 

_ Guess I won’t have to chase him around Gotham. _

Oliver was easily found inside, sitting at the desk as he peered around his computer screen with wide eyes.

“What do you want?”

Dinah let the door shut forcefully behind her - a bit harder than she had intended. “To talk.”

“What have I done this time?”

“Nothing—unless—what  _ did  _ you do?”

“Nothing.”

She marched over to the desk and crossed her arms. “Then why are you acting weird?”

“Dinah the last time you were in here you threw a cup of coffee at my head and ruptured one of my eardrums. I’m a little worried.”

“Do I look mad?”

He stared at her blankly for a few seconds before he replied. “Not going to answer that.”

“Anyway.” She rolled her eyes. “Starling called Helena this morning.” That was the real reason she had come by and though she could have called she hoped to get more out of him this way.

“And?”

“The Penguin wants to see her tonight.”

“Is this your way of inviting me?”

Dinah would feel somewhat safer knowing that Oliver had their backs, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of telling him as much. “I figured you would come - this is your little project after all.”

“Sure.”

“Have you talked to the rest of the Justice League lately?” She had a feeling she wouldn’t get very far on this topic, but that didn’t stop her from trying.

“They’re aware.”

“That’s it?”

“Mmhmm.”

Dinah sighed, finally sitting down in the chair across from him. “So you still don’t trust me.”

“They’ll get involved if they need to, that’s all you need to know.” Oliver said it plainly, but Dinah heard the unspoken ‘no’ that came with it. “I have a friend who is...interested in what’s going on.”

“Oliver, come on.”

“Sorry.” He shrugged. “If it was just you, maybe.”

“Liar. You never told me anything before.” The only difference is when it was just her, there was much less at stake. 

“Because of Sionis.” She’d heard that excuse before, how he was afraid Roman would get to her and use her against him. It had never happened.

“What’s stopping you now?”

Instead of answering, he sighed and turned his head away, refusing to meet her eyes. Dinah knew, though. It wasn’t a what, it was a  _ who. _

“Is it Helena? Or Harley?” Dinah was no idiot. Even without them, Oliver would be reluctant to give her any information on the Justice League or what they were doing. She was merely interested in seeing which one of them he would pick for his excuse.

“Did you come  _ looking  _ for a fight?”

She narrowed her eyes at him.  _ Maybe.  _ “Answer the question.”

“No.”

“Oliver.”

He doubled down. “No, Dinah.”

“Look,” His answer didn’t really matter, the effect was still the same. “If you know something and are intentionally not telling—.”

“Dinah—.”

“You’ve been keeping us in the dark and you know it.” When he tried to interrupt her again she held her hand up to silence him. “I want to make this perfectly clear to you. If  _ anything  _ happens to Helena tonight - or Renee - I’m holding  _ you  _ responsible.”

Oliver only shook his head. “Now I’m starting to think  _ you’re  _ the one with trust issues.”

Given their history, this was a touchy subject. But Dinah understood what he meant, and decided to give him the truth.

“You’re right. I don’t trust you. At all.”

As her words sunk in he settled back into his chair with a sigh. “I’m scared shitless, Oliver.” She hated admitting this, especially to him. But her worry was getting the best of her. “We’re sending Helena in there  _ again,  _ with no plan - no idea what we’re doing - and you’ve told us absolutely nothing.”

“I told you I’d come along.” He tried to assure her. “Everything will be fine—Helena included.”

“Look at me.” Dinah hissed at him. “I love her. And if  _ anything  _ happens to her, you better believe I’m coming after you.”

“Dinah.” This got him to stand up, speaking softly as he did so. “I don’t know much more about the Penguin’s plan than you do.”

“But you  _ do  _ know something.”

“Yes”

“—and still won’t tell me.”

“I’m sorry, Dinah.”

_ I’ve heard that before. _

Any other time she would have thrown it back in his face with a hateful ‘no you’re not’, but not today. She was too tired.

“Just tell me when and where.” He continued, stepping over to where she was sitting. He offered her his hand and  _ tried  _ to smile. “I’ll be there to help in any way I can.”

Dinah glanced from his face to his outstretched hand and back again, but made no move to take it.

“No more empty promises, Ollie. Prove it.”

“Dinah—.”

“It’s that easy.”

* * *

“Where’s Dinah?”

Renee eyed Helena from over the top of her reading glasses and shrugged. “Haven’t seen her.”

_ That doesn’t make sense.  _ “She said she was coming over here.”

To emphasize that Dinah was  _ not _ there, Renee slowly looked around the room.

“Call her:”

“In a minute.” Helena wasn’t too worried...yet.  _ One thing at a time.  _ She went and sat on the edge of the desk Renee was using and nervously rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m—uh—I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“Uh...losing my temper. Slamming the door—.”

“Saying ‘fuck you guys’ and leaving?” Renee finished.

Sitting like this, Helena couldn’t help but feel kind of childish as she looked down at Renee. But when Helena nodded, Renee took her reading glasses off with a laugh. 

“I didn’t take it too personally.”

While she was relieved that Renee wasn’t upset with her, her dismissal didn’t excuse Helena’s outburst, especially following her altercation with Oliver.

“Still shouldn’t have happened.”

“Maybe. But it got our attention.”

“Starling called.”

Renee’s brow went up. “Is that why Dinah was coming by?”

“Mmhmm.” Her absence was gnawing at Helena a little.  _ Where is she?  _ By all accounts, Dinah should have been there by now, and Renee should have already been informed.  _ Guess I get to tell her instead. _

She gave Renee the quickest version possible, with Renee nodding along as she discussed the  _ current  _ plan.

“Still angry?” Renee asked when she finished.

Helena wasn’t sure anymore. She was far more tired, than anything. But she chose the safe answer. “Yes.” She was  _ always  _ angry, under the surface. She still wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of going, but it had to be done.

“Is that going to be a problem?”

“No.”

That was the easiest promise Helena could make. Her anger would  _ not  _ get the better of her again - especially not while she was with the Penguin. Whatever this meeting was about, Helena wanted to glean as much information from it as possible, and being angry wouldn’t help her.

“Good.” Renee‘s smile was a welcome comfort. “We’ve got your back.”

“I know.” She pushed off the desk and tried to return Renee’s smile. “I—I think I’m going to go outside and wait on Dinah.”

“She should have been here by now, huh?”

“Yeah.” This wasn’t like her. Dinah still hadn’t called her yet, and Helena wanted to get in touch with her before the worry took over. The last thing she wanted to do was go looking for her if she didn’t have to.

* * *

_ “Dinah when you get this, call me back. Please.” _

Helena sounded worried, and Dinah felt awful for missing Helena’s call. Something had gone wrong with her phone while she was driving, and she hadn’t gotten the voicemail notification until several minutes later. 

_ I’ll call her back when I stop. _

She was almost back to their base now, and there her cell signal would be much more reliable.

Dinah expected Helena to still be at home. After all, the last time she’d seen Helena, Helena had been lying on her back on the living room floor - moping.

Talking to Oliver felt like a waste of time the further she got away from his office, though his promise to help would come in handy if he actually followed through. It was a small, nearly insignificant comfort. There were so many things that  _ could  _ go wrong - it was hard to know if Oliver would be if any help. At the very least, Dinah didn’t think his presence would hurt them any.

Finding Helena outside of the base, pacing back and forth, was the last thing Dinah has expected to see when she pulled into the lot.

_ What’s she doing here? _

Helena was early, but Dinah didn’t have a problem with that. As she parked the car, she could imagine a little storm cloud floating over Helena’s head as she paced, staring down at the ground underfoot.

But eventually Helena heard the car and lifted her head, pulling her eyes away from the pavement. The soft smile that crossed her lips when she saw Dinah blew the overhanging cloud away and caused Dinah’s heart to skip a beat.

The second Dinah shut the car off, Helena was there, opening the door for her.

“Hey,” Dinah said with a laugh. “You okay?”

As soon as Dinah stood up, Helena pressed her forehead to Dinah’s and sighed. “I am now. Where have you been?”

“I took a little detour. Had to pay Ollie a visit.”

“I tried to call.”

“I know.” Dinah soothed. “I was gonna call you back as soon as I got—well, here.”

Helena relaxed, taking a step back and nodding. “How’s Oliver?”

“Annoying.”

She frowned. “Then why did you go see him?”

“To see if he’d be joining us later, since I didn’t expect him to visit today.”

“Oh.” Helena stared blankly ahead at something over Dinah’s shoulder for a few seconds, as if she’d forgotten something. 

“Helena?”

She did, however, snap out of it quickly. “Harley and Cass broke into our apartment.”

“And found you on the floor?” Dinah teased, nudging her a little.

“Mmhmm.”

“Okay.”  _ I’m guessing they do this a lot when they think we’re not home.  _ “What did they want?”

“Food, mostly. I don’t know, I left them there.”

“Damn it, Helena.” Dinah was laughing even as she rolled her eyes. “Now we’ll have to clean up their mess when we get home.”

“Probably. Don’t worry—.” Helena sheepishly shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll do it.”

“Uh huh.” She gave Helena a quick kiss on the cheek before looping their arms together. “Come on. Is Renee here?”

“Yes.”

“Good, you’ll need to get ready. Want to get started?”

There was a brief hesitation in her voice, but she squeezed Dinah’s hand on her arm. 

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

* * *

Seeing the Iceberg Lounge empty was a little unusual. Helena cautiously walked through the glass doors at the entrance, getting a good look around as she entered the building. Most of the overhead lights had been dimmed, the waitresses were gone, and there was no longer any music playing. The eerie silence combined with the cold air gave Helena chills. Her footsteps echoed on the marble floor, regardless of how softly she tried to tread.

There were voices coming from upstairs, though Helena didn’t recognize any of them. Except for one.

“Starling!” The Penguin’s voice echoed off the walls, and as it reverberated around her Helena heard the other voices go silent. “Your friend is here.”

Helena looked to the balcony and saw the Penguin staring down at her. Starling appeared at his side, wearing a mischievous grin.

“I told you she’d be early.”

The Penguin began laughing, leaving Starling at the railing as he waddled over to his sofa.

“Don’t stay down there all night.” Starling teased.

Sighing, Helena awkwardly gave her a thumbs up and started toward the stairway.

“I’m heading upstairs.” Helena murmured closed to the microphone taped to her chest, careful to not be overheard.

* * *

_ “I’m heading upstairs.” _

Dinah and Renee exchanged glance before Renee leaned in to reply.

“Be careful, Bertinelli.”

They were in the car, but so far things weren’t going exactly according to plan. Dinah had hoped they’d stay close to the lounge, but instead they were on the other side of town, stuck in traffic. There’d been some kind of accident - as best she could tell - and this had set up a detour around some of the less congested streets. The only problem she had was that this has slowed both them down immensely.

“At this rate we’ll be lucky to get there by morning.” Renee grumbled bitterly. “God forbid something happens.”

“Oh I’ll get there.” Dinah promised. “You can bet on that.”

Oliver was...somewhere. He’d opted to keep his distance from them for the evening, though he’d promised her he would be in the neighborhood ready to lend a hand when needed. Dinah tried not to worry about it. They had too much else on their plate for her to think about Oliver now.

It would take twenty minutes to get there from where they were now, under the best conditions. Dinah kept that number in the back of her mind, knowing that it would be unlikely but not impossible for her to beat it. 

“We’re stuck in traffic, H.” Dinah needed to give Helena fair warning. If things went south she’d be on her own. “Don’t do anything crazy ‘til we can get there.”

Helena’s heavy, affected sigh was the only answer she could give, but Dinah understood. Helena wasn’t happy about this in any regard.  _ Knew we should have stayed closer. _

“Sorry.”

* * *

_ “Sorry.” _

_ Not your fault. _

Starling was waiting for her at the top of the stairs. Bright eyes that felt like daggers lay over the grin she still wore. Helena was already on edge, and as Starling looked her over these feelings of unease only worsened.

“White suit, huh?” Starling’s eyes locked onto Helena’s as she licked her lips. “Good choice.”

She’d worn the white jacket out of necessity, as she’d already exhausted all of her other options. If Starling liked it, then Helena hoped that would give her another point in the Penguin’s favor.

Turning on her heel, Starling motioned for Helena to follow her. Slow, heavy footsteps carried a reluctant Helena over to the sofa where the Penguin was waiting for her.

“Sorry I’m...early.” Helena muttered, lowering her head in a bow.

The Penguin let out a snort and waved her off. “Most of these bastards are fifteen minutes late—minimum. So it’s nice to not wait on  _ everyone.” _

Helena nodded absentmindedly and folded her hands behind her back. Starling left her side to go stand behind the sofa - over the Penguin’s shoulder. Taking a half-step back so she could turn, Helena looked down at the rest of the lounge below them. Most of the floor was cloaked in shadow, so there wasn’t much to see. This was a huge difference compared to the last time she was here, there were no blinding lights flooding the room, and nothing was there to distract her from the Penguin’s ever present gaze.

“Starling says you’re not much for conversation.” The Penguin said from behind her.

“No.”

“Doesn’t matter. I prefer actions to words.” Surprisingly, that was something they could agree on. “Though I’m interested in seeing more from you - especially since Starling  _ insists.” _

Helena glanced at both of them over her shoulder. She was curious, but thought it better not to ask. The less she tried to be involved with the Penguin the safer she would be.

“Have you ever killed a man before, Helena?”

“Yes.”

“How many? One? Two?” When Helena didn’t answer, he grinned wickedly at her. “ _ More?”  _ With her nod, he clapped his hands together in delight. “We’ve got a killer on our hands, Starling. Absolutely  _ perfect.” _

He seemed to take great pleasure from this - far more than Helena herself did. Still, what she did would never benefit him. She was more likely to kill him than kill someone  _ for  _ him.

He didn’t seem to expect a response from her, and quickly moved on. “Starling, have you heard from any of the others?”

“No.”

The grin he’d been wearing quickly turned into a distorted scowl. He glanced at Helena, gesturing toward a nearby chair. “Sit.”

“No, thank you.” If she sat, she might die. She would prefer to stand, where it was easier to defend herself. Standing gave her a falsely elevated sense of control, and she was hesitant to let that go.

“I  _ insist.” _

Helena stared at him for several seconds. But he wasn’t the only one making demands.

_ “Christ, Bertinelli. Go sit.” _

Despite Renee in her ear, she might have continued to stand, until she saw the Penguin tighten the grip he had in his umbrella.

_ Don’t push too hard.  _ It was an easy thing to tell herself when she had no idea how far she could really take things with him. She might be brave, but she was not stupid. So instead of experimenting, Helena dutifully bowed her head and took the seat as she was instructed. She crossed one leg over the other and folded her hands in her lap. It took all her strength to keep from nervously bouncing her leg.  _ Don’t draw attention to yourself. _

That was easier said than done. The Penguin hadn’t given her so much as a second glance since she sat down, but that didn’t account for Starling. 

But Starling could stare all she liked. Helena tried to ignore her, to concentrate on the Penguin, but she had to be careful not to be caught staring at him. He was in the periphery of her vision, as was Starling, but that was the only way for Helena to keep tabs on them - indirectly - since she didn’t want to appear suspicious.

It took a few minutes for anyone else to arrive, and when they did it was as one large group. Half a dozen men arrived without much fanfare, particularly from the Penguin, and Helena was left to watch as they climbed the stairs to join them on the balcony, each one laden down with more weapons than was likely necessary. But it was how many of them there were that Helena found most unsettling, especially as they encircled both her and the Penguin’s sofa.

Movement from Starling caught her eye, though she tried to remain aware of the men that were now standing behind her. Starling was doing a headcount.

“All here, boss.”

“Excellent.” Using his umbrella to brace himself, the Penguin stood. “Let’s get started.”

Whatever he said next was lost on Helena, drowned out by the loud, obnoxious bellow of an air horn, that echoed throughout the lounge the moment the Penguin opened his mouth again. Helena flinched at the sound, but a quick look in Starling’s direction told her she wasn’t alone in that regard.

“What the fuck was that!?” The Penguin shouted.

A few glances were exchanged, and some of the men began murmuring amongst themselves, but no one had an answer for him. The horn was blown again shortly after, and this time Helena managed to cover her ears. The Penguin angrily stormed around the sofa, his beady eyes frantically searching for the source of the commotion. He seemed to find his answer on the lower level, and as he leaned against the railing to look down, Helena stood and tried to get a better look at what was happening.

Standing on one of the dining room tables below was Harley, air horn in hand. When she saw she had everyone’s attention, she waved.

“Hiya, fucker!” She yelled, staring up at the Penguin.

“Want me to shoot her, boss?” Starling offered.

_ Over my dead body. _

“Let’s see what she wants, first.” The Penguin replied under his breath before shouting down at Harley. “Harley Quinn—.” He was cut off by the air horn, which Harley held down for several excruciating seconds. When the noise finally stopped, he tried again. “Why don’t you come up here and join us?”

Harley flashed a grin and hopped off the table, and Helena thought she heard her giggle. The air horn was carelessly cast aside shortly afterwards, as Harley skipped toward the stairs.

The glass doors at the entrance to the lounge remained open behind her, and as the Penguin walked away to intercept Harley, Helena caught herself watching the door.

Dinah and Renee had not had enough time to get there, so Helena wasn’t sure what she was expecting.

“Ya really need an elevator.” Harley panted. 

As the Penguin snorted at Harley’s complaint; Helena saw Cass peek her head through the entrance and slip inside. Her heart dropped to her stomach as Cass crept across the floor, only casting one or two cautious glances up at the balcony as she searched for somewhere to hide. Helena stiffened, carefully glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one else was watching.

_ I have to get down there. _

* * *

“Who the hell invited Harley?” Dinah asked loudly. She  _ hoped  _ that with everything going on that Helena - who was likely responsible - would hear her.

“This is bad.” Renee sighed. “You know the Penguin hates her.”

Dinah was well aware. Things were slipping out of their control too quickly for her liking.

“What do we do?” She asked Renee helplessly.

Renee’s shrug did not help the situation. “Keep driving. You said you’d get us there.”

It was the only choice they had, though if they took much longer it was beginning to look like abandoning the car and  _ walking  _ would be faster. 

“We should have been there by now.”

“I know.”

“Fuck!” Dinah’s frustration came out as she slammed her hand against the steering wheel. “This was a mistake.”

_ “Put your hands up, Harley.”  _ The Penguin’s order came with the sound of accompanying footsteps.  _ “Now.” _

_ “Really?”  _ Harley whined. Dinah could picture the exaggerated pout that came along with it.  _ “I thought ya wanted ta have some fun.” _

_ “We have very different ideas or fun, my dear. You should have never left that hole you crawled out of.” _

_ “Words hurt, ya know.” _

Renee pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Dinah understood the feeling perfectly.

_ What on Earth is Harley doing? _

* * *

Helena was running out of time. Whatever came next, she was afraid Dinah and Renee wouldn’t make it in time to help them.

_ I have to get to Cass. _

Cass’ safety was now her number one priority. She told herself that whatever happened to Harley now was her own damn fault, but that didn’t resolve the Cass situation.

Helena couldn’t slip away without being noticed, and there was no way she could fight off the Penguin  _ or  _ his entourage alone.

As far as she could tell, Cass was now out of sight, having disappeared behind the ‘employees only’ door that led to the back of house from behind the bar.

The lounge was  _ closed,  _ which ideally meant that no one would be around - that no one would intercept Cass and potentially hurt her. The fact that she hadn’t been noticed when Harley made her entrance was a miracle on its own. Helena didn’t want to push her luck.

The longer Helena stood here and did nothing, the more nervous she became.

_ What do I do if they don’t show up? _

Given what she had already heard about the Penguin, the result would likely be fatal for Harley - and herself if somehow her cover was blown. From where they stood on the upper level of the lounge, the only way down was via the stairs.

There would be no slipping away unnoticed, and there would be no grabbing Harley and running. Helena was out of options.

“Can’t believe ya had a party without me!” Harley whined loudly, ignoring the command to keep her hands up so that she could gesture at the group the Penguin had assembled there. “Ya didn’t even invite me ta the reopening, jackass.”

_ Please shut up. _

* * *

“Drive faster.”

Dinah’s hands were shaking as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “You know I can't.” Between the condition of her car and what was left of the traffic, Dinah’s hands were tied.

_ I knew we should have stayed close by. _

“Where’s Oliver? I’ve not heard anything from him.” Renee was nervously drumming her fingers on her leg. Dinah could see the movement in the corner of her vision.

“I don’t know.”

_ Hopefully he gets there before we do. _

Dinah was reaching for her phone a second later. Oliver  _ had  _ to be closer than this. 

Oliver never answered his phone in a timely manner, not normally, but when he answered on the second ring she’d never been happier to hear his voice.

“Dinah, what’s going on?”

“How close to the lounge are you?”

“I can be there in five—.”

“Make it faster.”

He hesitated. “Dinah...what’s going on?”

“Harley just showed up.”

“Harley?” She heard the disbelief in his voice. “How the fuck did she find out—.”

“I don’t know, Ollie.”  _ Helena probably told her.  _ “We’re trying to get there now. Please just hurry.”

_ You promised. _

“Okay.” He didn’t question her any further. “I’ll get there. Don’t worry.”

The line went dead and Dinah felt her stomach drop. Harley was going to ruin everything. “She’s a fucking idiot.” Dinah spoke her thoughts out loud. “We’ve got to get in there”

_ “Ya didn’t even invite me ta the reopening, ya jackass.” _

Renee pinched the bridge of her nose. “Does she  _ have  _ to antagonize him?”

“Are you really surprised?”

“No.”

_ She’s going to get shot. _

Still, Dinah realized what Harley was  _ trying  _ to do. She was stalling, albeit poorly. She couldn’t see this going in Harley’s favor, but given their current situation Dinah was more than happy to take every second Harley could spare them.

* * *

Despite what Helena wanted, she had a feeling that Harley wouldn’t be walking away from this one even if she  _ was  _ silent.

“That’s because you weren’t welcome, Harley.” The Penguin growled in that nasally voice of his. “I’ve got far more important people to entertain.”

“Aww, I thought ya liked me.”

“You should know better.” He began slowly creeping closer to her. “Without the Joker keeping you around, you’re no longer part of my circle. Quite frankly I don’t care if you live or die—.” He was clutching his umbrella tightly, and Helena understood what was coming next. “Though  _ dying  _ is the more convenient option.”

A flick of the wrist brought the umbrella upwards, pointed at Harley’s chin. 

_ Dinah is on the way. It’s fine. _

Harley laughed nervously, taking a step back but not doing herself any favors. “Easy.” Her eyes darted from him to Helena, her fear apparent. When their eyes met, Helena looked away. “Ya—ya ain’t gotta be like that. I’ll just head back downstairs and we’ll forget this ever happened. Deal?”

“Afraid not, Harley.”

* * *

Focusing on driving - trying to break through the traffic, Dinah was only catching pieces of the conversation. 

_ “I don’t care if you live or die.” _

“He’s going to kill her,” Renee muttered under her breath as the Penguin finished speaking. “We  _ have  _ to go, Dinah.”

Jerking the steering wheel, Dinah pulled into oncoming traffic, using the narrow opening to pass a handful of the slower cars in front of her. Renee said nothing, but she braced her arm against the door as Dinah waited for another opportunity to do it again.

“Dinah—turn here.” 

She pulled the car down the alleyway Renee had pointed out, narrowly missing a dumpster in the process. She sped down the alley, eyes on the other side.

“Go left.”

Obediently Dinah peeled out onto the open road, missing the front end of a delivery truck by inches. This street gave her a break from the traffic, which was exactly what she’d been looking for. With her foot on the gas, she passed through three intersections before she regained her bearings and realized where they were. Not yet close enough.

_ “I’ll just head back downstairs and we’ll just forget this ever happened. Deal?” _

_ “Afraid not, Harley.” _

There was some rustling over the line, and Dinah strained to hear better. They were only a few blocks away now. So far, there hadn’t been a single word out of Helena, which terrified her.

_ What is she going to do? _

* * *

Helena couldn’t look at her. She couldn’t take the sight Harley being  _ afraid  _ of something. 

_ I have to do something. _

Helena was now certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that Dinah and Renee wouldn’t make it in time.

_ I have to help her. _

Taking a deep breath she calmly stepped in front of Harley, putting herself between her and the Penguin, thus shielding her from his gun.

There was no going back now. There would be no protecting Cass, and it was nearly pointless to attempt a fight. But Helena would be damned if she didn’t at least  _ try. _

“That’s not gonna happen, Penguin.”

Even outnumbered, Helena still pulled her gun. She would have preferred her crossbow, but she had left that with Dinah. At least she would be able to take a few of them down with her before she and Harley were both killed.

_ The Penguin dies first. _

_ “We’re close, H. Hold on.” _

It was good to hear Dinah’s voice again - for what was likely the last time. There were a hundred things Helena wanted to say, but couldn’t. There’s not enough time. You aren’t going to make it. I’m sorry. I love you. I wish I had a better plan.

_ I love you. _

* * *

_ “That’s not gonna happen, Penguin.” _

“Oh no. Dinah, what’s she doing?”

_ Protecting Harley. _

Dinah leaned close to the microphone, praying she wasn’t too late, and that Helena could still hear her.

“We’re close, H. Hold on.”

The only thing she could hear next was the Penguin’s laughter, so loud that the radio strained and crackled with static. She couldn’t make anything out past his cackling.

_ “My god, Starling! You were right!” _

His next words were replaced by more static, and Dinah cursed under her breath.  _ Does he have to be so fucking loud?  _

_ “Helena Bertinelli—.” _

“Wait.” Renee slammed her hand against the car door. “He knows?! He’s known this whole fuckin’ time, hasn’t he?”

Dinah wasn’t sure how long he’d known, but she knew what it meant. “They set us up.”

“Can’t this thing go any faster?”

“ _ No.” _

“He’s gonna fuckin’ kill ‘em.  _ Both  _ of ‘em.”

“Don’t say that.” Dinah growled through gritted teeth. “We’ll make it.”

“Dinah—.”

“We’ll make it.” She repeated. She had no other choice.

* * *

Helena honestly expected to be shot immediately, but this was not the case. Instead, with several guns pointed in her direction, the Penguin began to laugh at her. The grating sound of his quacking laughter filled the air, though Helena didn’t understand what was so funny.

Though she couldn’t escape properly, she  _ could  _ use his distraction as time to think. The only way down apart from the stairs was to jump over the railing of the balcony. From where she stood there was no way for her to judge the height, or see what was below them. Either way, this option still ran the risk of her breaking both of their necks if she just grabbed Harley and jumped.

“My god, Starling!” The Penguin cackled. “You were right! This fool  _ is  _ friends with Harley! And here I thought you were imagining things.” He wiped a tear from his eye and his laughter began to die down. “Helena Bertinelli—here I thought you’d try to continue this charade of yours forever.”

_ So he’s known this whole time. _

Starling was staring at her with a smug grin. “I told you Poison Ivy isn’t friendly with strangers. Everyone knows that. I just didn’t think it would be this easy.”

“Well it took care of these two headaches.” The Penguin chuckled. “I’m sure the other two will be here soon.”

“How do ya figure?” Harley asked, taking the words out of Helena’s mouth.

“My dear you make everything so painfully obvious. You’ve been running around Gotham with these three ladies for weeks. Green Arrow has been in town too, will he be joining us?”

Helena took half a step back, but neither she or Harley gave him a response.

“Doesn’t matter.” He continued, dismissively. “You’ll both be dead before they get here.”

Harley’s hand pressed against her back as Helena stepped backwards, the only thing that stopped her. She took a deep breath, never taking her eyes off the umbrella. With Harley  _ touching  _ her, this meant she was closer than Helena had thought.

“Do you trust me?” Helena whispered.

_ It’s time to go. _

“Any last words, Harley?” The Penguin asked, ignoring Helena entirely and eyeing Harley with a malicious grin.

“Yeah!” She tightened her grip on Helena’s jacket, but her voice was as energetic as always. “Fuck you, ya cuck!”

* * *

_ “Do you trust me?” _

It was getting harder for Dinah to breathe with the way her heart sat in her throat, but they were  _ so close.  _ The lounge was nearly in sight now, they just had to get inside.

_ Everything will be fine.  _ Dinah told herself this though her heart didn’t believe it. 

_ “Any last words, Harley?” _

“Dinah,” Renee warned. “Don’t stop.”

_ “Yeah! Fuck you, ya cuck!” _

“No matter what happens, don’t—.”

Renee never finished her sentence. The following gunshot stopped Dinah’s heart mid-beat, but what followed next was so much worse.

The sound of breaking glass came seconds before a loud crash that filled her car with more static. The radio took longer than she wanted to recover from the noise, which seemed to go on forever. 

“Helena?!”

When the static began to fade there was a chorus of indistinct shouting, followed by a low groan. The next voice she heard was Harley’s.

“Jesus Christ,” Harley said breathlessly. “What’re ya tryin’ ta do, kill us?” With every word Harley’s voice got quieter, until she finished with a slow and uncertain “...lovebird?”

What had at first seemed like a low, panting sound that was almost indistinguishable from the background noise. But as Harley grew quiet the sound continued, and grew louder. As it worsened, she recognized what it was, and it threatened to bring her entire world crashing down around her. It was the painful, labored, gasping sound of Helena struggling to breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 16 will be posted next Saturday. Thank you guys so much!


	16. Hell's Kitchen

_ This must be what dying feels like. _

If she wasn’t dying, she was close. Short, labored breaths burned through her chest, the blinding white hot pain she felt through her shoulder and her arm eclipsing all of Helena’s rational thought.

They had  _ survived _ the fall - that had been her goal and she had succeeded. But Helena had not yet been able to move, and had no way of knowing the toll this had taken on her body. She had taken the brunt of the fall, including most of Harley’s weight in the process.

_ Bad idea. Gotta move. _

The shouting above her served as a reminder as to  _ why  _ she had jumped in the first place. She needed to move - preferably  _ before  _ they realized she was alive and tried to finish her off.

Helena rolled onto her stomach, gritting her teeth as the bones in her shoulder ground together and the pain blacked out her vision. 

Giving up would be so easy.

_ I have to get up. I have to get the others out of here. _

Harley had to be nearby, but finding Cass would present its own problems. Helena refused to give up without trying, even if it killed her.

She brought her hands up to her chest and tried to push herself up off of the now broken dining table they had landed on. Her left arm couldn’t support even a fraction of her weight, and she couldn’t raise herself up more than a few inches before her arms gave out. Collapsing against the wooden tabletop Helena bit back a cry of pain, blinking back the tears in her eyes.

_ Try again. _

Her hands shook as she made one more attempt. She pushed herself up on trembling arms, desperately trying to raise herself up and regain her footing so she could stand.

“Whoa.” She beard Harley’s voice to her right, then there were hands around her arm - tugging. “C’mon, lovebird. I gotcha.” 

Harley helped Helena to her feet, then before Helena could get her bearings she was being dragged across the dining room toward the bar. Harley slid across the floor in front of her, diving behind the bar as a bullet whizzed by Helena’s head. She ducked her head and tried to hurry after Harley, kneeling down behind the bar when she was able to use the oaken countertop as cover.

“Got any more bright ideas?” Helena asked with a wheeze.

“ _ Me?” _ Harley gestured toward the shattered glass railing of the balcony, the one Helena had just launched them through, where the Penguin’s men were now shooting from. “That was you.”

_ Don’t remind me.  _ She could feel the pinpricks of glass in her back, and didn’t want to think of how she might be bleeding.

“You started it.”

“Tell ya what.” Harley peered over the bar, ducking back down with a yelp as a bullet struck the wood near her head. “We get outta here, go get some shawarma, some drinks, then we can argue about who did what.”

“Harley.”

“Take it or leave it.”

_ We have to get to Cass first.  _

“Give me a minute.”

“Oh sure, take your time.”

Some of the glasses on the shelves behind them had shattered as the whole bar was peppered with billets. That didn’t give her any inspiration, though she wished it would. They didn’t have many options here - and no weapons. Helena chanced a peek over the bar, trying to see where each of their assailants were. Positioning was their best friend right now, if they were going to try and make a run for it. She counted three on the balcony, which meant the others had already started downstairs where she and Harley were sitting ducks.

Helena hoped Dinah and Renee would be there soon, but she hadn’t heard from them in a while, and had no idea what ‘soon’ meant anymore.

“Go get Cass.” Helena instructed. She was met with a blank stare.  _ Not good.  _ “Harley— _ go.” _

“And leave ya here ta do  _ what?  _ Last I checked your gun didn’t make it down.”

There was no plan, and Helena didn’t want to wing it.

_ No other choice. _

“I’ll buy you some time.”

“How?”

Helena would have shrugged, but the arrow that struck the shelf behind them stole her attention.

“Uh…”

“Oh!” Harley’s eyes lit up. “Queenie’s here!”

Oliver’s help was more than welcome at the moment. The tip of the arrow was now beginning to smoke, and within seconds the entire bar was shrouded by a thick white cloud - obscuring Harley and Helena from sight.

She didn’t have too many options from where she sat, but she  _ could  _ help Oliver create a distraction. She didn’t know where he was - hadn’t  _ seen  _ him - but she had no choice now but to trust him.

_ Hope he’s got a plan. _

Painstakingly making her way to the end of the bar, Helena could see Starling scanning through smoky cover, trying to find her.

_ Time to go. _

She looked around looking for somewhere else to hide, eventually catching sight of the kitchen. “Harley—.” Inspiration struck as Helena stared at the kitchen doors.  _ Maybe a fire will do.  _ She heard the clinking of bottles behind her as she tried to get Harley’s attention, and wondered if they’d thought the same thing.  _ Maybe a fire will work. _

“Grab as many bottles as you can carry—.”

“Way ahead of you.” Harley answered, shoving three bottles of rum into Helena’s chest, leaving her to scramble to hold them with her uninjured arm. “Gonna be able to run?”

_ Maybe.  _ “Have to.”

“Ya better.” With one sweep of her arms, Harley managed to grab seven more bottles off the bar. Clutching them to her chest, she grinned from ear to ear. “Let’s go.”

Helena could only nod.  _ Come on, Oliver. _

Wherever he was, he must have  _ seen  _ them. Another smoke arrow was shot into a dining table halfway across the dining room, but Helena and Harley had no choice but to wait until there was a sufficient cloud to provide them cover.

Harley was the more impatient of the two. “Go.” She grumbled, prodding Helena’s back.

They ran through the smoke together, narrowly avoiding the continued assault as they barreled toward the kitchen. Helena caught the double doors with her right side and shouldered through them, giving Harley time to dart in behind her.

The overhead lights came on automatically at the motion, leaving Helena squinting as the kitchen was washed in white fluorescent light. Once her eyes managed to adjust she took a moment to observe their surroundings. There were four ovens with gas burners, two deep fryers, plenty of counter space covered with pots and pans, and various dishes and utensils.

_ There has to be something we can use. _

Her mind was racing on the adrenaline as she turned and glanced at Harley. When their eyes met, the idea struck her - and Harley quickly got the message.

“Gas.” They said in unison.

Helena hurried over to the nearest counter and left the bottles she’d been haphazardly carrying there. “Help me. Hurry.”

Harley joined her as soon as she emptied her own arms, in front of the first gas stove. With Harley’s help, Helena pulled the stove out as far as they were able. Harley moved the next one out of the way on her own, creating enough space for Helena to get between them, now able to see the exposed gas line underneath.

“Perfect. Thank you.”

As Helena slipped between the stoves in the space they created, she took a moment to catch her breath. In the time this took, Harley had begun opening a few of the bottles. There was no need for Helena to say anything, for Harley had begun soaking the floor with the alcohol unprompted. With Harley occupied, Helena set to work with the gas. The valve was on the floor, attached to each stove with thick yellow tubing. Helena crouched down, grinding her teeth together as she reached for the valve that controlled the flow of gas to the stoves. The pain would have to wait. Opening the valve as wide as she could, Helena grabbed the closest piece of tubing and pulled on it with as much leverage as she could muster.

It tore open with a loud pop, and there was half a second before Helena could smell the gas seeping into the kitchen. She coughed, climbing back out from between the stoves, careful not to slip on the now wet tile floor.

“Harley?” She had finished pouring out all but one of the bottles, and looked when Helena said her name. “Want to make a molotov?”

Harley winked, waving the last unopened bottle of rum at her. “Thought you’d never ask.”

Harley tore into the bottle and once it was open she brought it to her lips and took a deep drink. The bottle was then offered to Helena, and she didn’t refuse it.

“Courage? Health?”

“Luck.” Harley said decisively. “Lots of it.”

Helena tipped the bottle in agreement before she took a drink. Compared to everything else she was feeling, the burn from the rum rolling down her throat was a welcome sensation.

Once she lowered the bottle, she focused on the task at hand. There were some clean dish rags folded on a low-lying shelf. Helena limped over and grabbed one, tearing a strip of it off to soak it in rum. Then she carefully twisted it to fit it down in the neck of the bottle. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do.

“Get Cass out of here.”

“If ya promise ta blow this place ta hell.”

Harley held out her hand, palm up, where she was holding a small black lighter. Helena reached and took it, giving Harley a nod when she gave Helena’s hand a squeeze.

“Let’s start a fire.”

* * *

Silence was the worst thing Dinah could imagine. Yet here she was, hearing absolutely  _ nothing  _ from Helena on the radio. The line had gone dead after an unbearable amount of static. Now, there was nothing.

Dinah could see the Iceberg Lounge now, and there was nothing that was going to stop her from getting inside: not even the door.

“Hold on.” She warned Renee.

Renee was already bracing herself, even as she muttered ‘please don’t’.

But Dinah  _ did,  _ driving her car right up the stairs leading into the lounge, ramming through the glass doors at the entrance.

She drove her car straight into the dining room, striking a few of the dining tables before she came to a stop. They were met by the sight of a group of men with guns - now staring at Dinah with stunned expressions. 

“This looks fun.”

_ Where’s Helena? _

That was the million dollar question, but Helena was nowhere in sight. Dinah and Renee scrambled out of the car, using it as cover when the armed group nearby came to their senses and started shooting at them.

Renee returned fire immediately, while Dinah scanned the room for their companions. Helena and Harley were nowhere she could see, and Dinah couldn’t make out any sign of Oliver.

However he turned out to be the easiest to find. He dropped out of thin air, landing next to Dinah with a soft thud. Dinah jerked away from the movement, met by Oliver’s laughter.

“Ladies.” He greeted them. “Nice entrance.”

“It’s probably time you tell us what you’re hiding, Ollie:” Dinah replied. “What’s really going on here?”

In true Oliver fashion, he dodged the question by directing Dinah’s attention toward the balcony above them where the glass railing had been shattered.

“Your friends jumped from up there.”

“ _ Jumped?” _ Renee and Dinah asked together.

“Well,” Oliver ducked as a bullet blew out the back window of Dinah’s car. “ _ Helena  _ jumped. It didn’t look like Harley had much say in the matter.”

From the height, there was no way they could have both made it unscathed.

_ Don’t think about it. _

“Where are they?” She asked instead. “Where’s Helena?”

“Good question. The last time I saw them—.”

A loud explosion interrupted him - shooting a ball of fire out of what Dinah could only assume  _ had  _ been the kitchen.

“Found them.” Renee muttered. 

Dinah was already reaching into the backseat of the car where she had put Helena’s crossbow.

“Dinah, you go. I’ll cover you.”

Dinah was glad they agreed, because she was ready to break off into a sprint at a moment's notice, something that was far easier to do with Renee watching her back.

When Renee was ready, Dinah took off. She made it behind the bar, but there would be no way for her to get into the kitchen that was now engulfed in flames. The fire was already beginning to spread, and it wouldn’t be safe to get any closer.

“Helena?” Dinah called out loudly. “Harley?”

“...Dinah?” Helena’s voice was quiet, uncertain. But that didn’t matter to Dinah, because she was  _ alive. _

Leaping over the top of the bar with no care in regards to anything else around her, Dinah found Helena on the other side. The stupid white suit Helena was now soaked in blood - though Dinah couldn’t tell  _ whose.  _ Helena’s left arm hung limply at her side, her shoulders hunched. Her face was scrunched up and she was visibly in pain, but despite this Helena smiled when she saw Dinah.

“There you are.” Dinah said breathlessly.

“About time you showed up.” She reached out and took her crossbow from Dinah, her smile never faltering. “Already loaded, huh?”

“Thought you might need it.”

“Mmhmm.”

Dinah sighed, cupping Helena’s face in her hands and bringing their forehead together. Helena was there, hurt but  _ alive.  _ Dinah couldn’t ask for much more.

“Helena, you scared the shit out of me.” Dinah whispered. “I was so afraid that—I thought—.”

“I know.” Helena replied softly. “But Harley went to find Cass, now we have to—.”

Dinah’s kiss interrupted the next word, but Dinah knew it was ‘go’. And they would go, soon, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t spare a few seconds. The way Helena melted into the kiss as Dinah continued to cradle her face was the surest indication that she wasn’t going to be complaining.

The gunshot, a pop that came from Dinah’s left, was unexpected. At first she thought nothing of the sound, then she felt the sting in her side - a sharp pain that felt like fire slowly spreading through her body. Helena reacted to the shot faster than Dinah did, half-stepping back to raise her crossbow.

Everything had begun to slow down as the burning feeling only worsened. When Helena fired the crossbow Dinah tried to follow the shot - to find Helena’s target. 

Standing a few yards away from them Dinah found her answer in the form of a heavily tattooed brunette woman, who now had one of Helena’s bolts protruding from her shoulder.

Helena’s shot had caused her to drop her gun, and as she clutched at her shoulder she took the opportunity to  _ run,  _ before Helena had a chance to fire again.

“Dinah?” Helena was so close to her, but her voice sounded like it was a world away. 

Dinah’s arm felt like it was full of lead when she lifted it to her side, pressing her hand to where the stinging sensation had started. The edges of her vision had begun to blur, as she slowly looked down. Her palm was now soaked with blood -  _ her  _ blood.

Helena was at her side, carefully trying to lower Dinah to the floor as her legs gave out from under her.

“I’m here.” Dinah heard her say. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Dinah opened her mouth, but at first the words couldn’t come out. Helena’s shaky voice was still speaking - pleading - but Dinah could no longer make out the words, no matter how hard she tried.

“Helena.” Dinah’s lips formed her name, though she couldn’t be sure if she managed to  _ say  _ it. “I love you.”

* * *

“Oliver?” Helena applies as much pressure to Dinah’s side as she could, doing her best to slow the bleeding. “Renee?!”

She had to concentrate on Dinah - the only thing that kept her from chasing Starling down and killing her.  _ Someone  _ would pay for this, that much was certain. Though that person couldn’t be Starling until Helena knew Dinah was safe.

“I need some help!”

Dinah was no longer responding to anything Helena said to her. Helena kept trying despite this.

“Stay with me.” She begged. “ _ Please.” _

Helena wasn’t past bargaining, willing to offer anything she could and more to any god that cared to listen. She could only pray someone was.

Quick, pattering footsteps rushed toward her, but Helena couldn’t pull her eyes away from Dinah, from the fear that doing so was all it would take to lose her entirely.

“I’m here.” Oliver panted. “Oh shit—what happened?”

“Shot.” Helena managed to say it as he dropped to his knees on the other side of Dinah. “We can’t stay here.”

The fall she had taken with Harry had done something to Helena’s shoulder, rendering her arm almost immovable and ensuring that she couldn’t simply lift Dinah on her own and leave. 

“She needs an ambulance, a hospital—.”

“I  _ know.” _

Oliver glanced at Helena’s arm as she grimaced, realization dawning on his face. “Oh.”

“Help me.”  _ Help her.  _ Oliver was the only choice Helena had. “Take her and go.”

“What about Renee?”

“ _ Now,  _ Oliver.” Time was not on their side, and if they expected Dinah to survive someone needed to get her out of there. “We’ll catch up.”

Oliver dropped his hand down to where Dinah lay between them, his fingers curling under the corner or Dinah’s jaw, where her pulse - if there was one - would be felt.

“Alright.” He said it quietly and with a nod. Carefully, he lifted Dinah up into his arms and stood up. Helena was reluctant to let her go, the fear gnawing away at the pit in her stomach, but she had to trust Oliver. Just this once. He would take care of Dinah. He had to.

In seconds, he was gone. Helena stood on weak legs and tried to refocus. The fire she had started was spreading quickly, and had reached the bar behind her and was well into the dining room. She could feel the heat all around her. 

There needed to be a plan. This far in, if she got Renee, Harley and Cass out  _ alive,  _ she would be happy.

Looking down at her hands, Helena found they were shaking and soaked in blood.  _ Dinah’s. _

Helena’s vision went red, the same color that stained her finger tips. It was time for some revenge. 

Helena walked carelessly into the open dining room, unaffected by the threat of being shot. The men the Penguin had hired to assist him with whatever this mess had become meant nothing to Helena. They were the Penguin’s nameless tools - and Helena wouldn’t let them escape her rage without consequence. 

As soon as the first bolt was fired from her crossbow, Helena lost all sense of her surroundings. There in the Iceberg Lounge she was - as far as she was concerned - alone, surrounded by nothing but targets. 

Helena didn’t miss a single shot. She couldn’t afford to. Tunnel vision took control over her aim, even as she overcompensated for her instability. The pain, as raw and fresh as ever, meant nothing to her now.

But this couldn’t go on forever. Eventually the crossbow stopped firing, and she had no more bolts to reload it with. It wasn’t that she needed to, either. The gunfire had ceased, allowing the now roaring fire to become the only sound Helena could hear.

Now there were just bodies - still warm corpses in a cold marble floor. Everything was quiet and still, and Helena realized she was crying, her face soaked with tears. The pause was exacerbated by her waning adrenaline, and the full severity of her injuries began to bear down on her.

She was alone. The Penguin was gone, as was Starling. Oliver, Helena hoped, was now long gone and on the way to a hospital with Dinah. Renee and Harley were nowhere in sight. Helena wanted to look for them -  _ needed  _ to find them, but this thought process was superseded by the idea that they had left her. She couldn’t deny the possibility that even now - after everything they’d been through together - she was alone. Helena had no explanation for why this thought struck her chest like a freight-train.

For the briefest of moments, Helena didn’t know what to do. The fire still raging behind her is where she found her answer.

_ It’s time to go. _

Her first steps sent her stumbling, her legs threatening to give out if she tried to go any further. The sudden presence of a hand gripping her arm was the only thing keeping her upright. 

“Gotcha.” Renee grunted. Looking down, Helena watched Renee reach out and pry Helena’s crossbow from her fingers. Once Helena’s hand was empty, Renee pulled Helena’s arm over her shoulder to help support her. “C’mon, Helena.”

Despite being smaller, Renee was determined to half-carry her out of there. It was slow going, but without Renee’s help Helena wouldn’t have made it outside on her own.

Helena’s chest was growing tighter with each step, and she wished she could do more to make this easier on Renee. “Where’s Cass?” She managed to ask. “And Harley?”

Helena wouldn’t leave without them, even if it meant dragging herself back inside. 

“Took off with Dinah’s car.”

_ They’re safe. _

“I told Harley to make a lap around the block and come back for us. We don’t wanna be here when the fire department shows.”

“Mm.”

“Whole place is gonna burn down—.”

“Good.” Helena grumbled. 

“Who’s idea was that?”

_ Mine? Harley’s?  _ She didn’t know for sure. “Joint decision.”

Renee sighed and tried to hold Helena up a little straighter. “I was afraid of that.”

Tires squealed and Dinah’s car peeled around the corner. Helena lifted her head and watched the car skid down the street and pull onto the curb in front of them. There was smoke pouring from under the hood banged up hood- a problem for later. 

“Let’s go!” Harley shouted from the driver’s seat.

Renee helped Helena into the backseat, careful to not catch her leg in the door. “We gotta get you to a hospital.”

* * *

_ “What’re you waiting for?” _

_ The Booby Trap was illuminated with light from top to bottom. Dinah was standing on the upper floor, staring at the ancient paint that was peeling off the dusty walls. She could hear music coming from beneath her, loud enough to vibrate the weathered floorboards. _

_ Through the window, she could see her car had been driven up to the front of the funhouse. Renee was leaning against the side of the car, and when she saw Dinah watching her from the window, she waved. _

_ “Helloooo? Are you paying attention?” _

_ “Hmm?” _

_ Dinah spun around and found Cass staring at her with her arms crossed. “What’re you doing up here?”  _

_ That was a very good question - she had no idea. _

_ “Uh...what’re  _ _ you _ _ doing?”  _

_ “Helena sent me to find you.” Cass rolled her eyes. “She’s downstairs with Harley.” _

_ The only question Dinah had was why they were in the Booby Trap to begin with. _

_ “They’re fuckin’ with the lights.” Cass answered, reading Dinah’s mind. “Do you wanna go down the slide?” _

_ Dinah had an odd feeling of pain through her side that she couldn’t quite explain. She didn’t really want to go down the slide, but then again it had been kind of fun the last time, and she wouldn’t tell Cass no.  _

_ “C’mon then.” _

_ Dinah went over to the hatch and pulled it open, motioning for Cass to go first. Cass was down the slide in an instant, and Dinah could hear the echoes of her laughter reverberating up the slide as she made her way down. After waiting a few seconds, Dinah followed. The twists and turns were jarring, but this wasn’t anything unexpected. _

_ Reaching the bottom, Dinah realized she had lost track of Cass. _

_ “Kid?” Dinah climbed out of the slide’s mouth and dusted herself off. “Cass?” _

_ There was no sign of Cass - and the room was filled with smoke. Something was on fire, burning, but Dinah couldn’t pinpoint the source. _

_ Suddenly Harley appeared before her, with a wide, toothy grin. She was clad in a pair of hot pink pajamas, which Dinah had to admit wasn’t the strangest thing going on here. _

_ Harley grabbed Dinah by the wrist, tugging her through the funhouse. Harley cackled as they moved around the lower level, and Dinah allowed herself to be pulled in any direction Harley liked. _

_ “Slow down.” Dinah laughed, out of breath. “What’s burning?” _

_ As she asked the question, Dinah saw the flames. In the blink of an eye they were gone again, as Harley pulled her into a room full of mirrors. _

_ “Harley, shouldn’t we get out of here?” _

_ Getting stuck in a blazing inferno was not on Dinah’s to-do list, and very little of this seemed safe. But in true Harley fashion, she didn’t seem to mind.  _

_ Lifting Dinah’s arm, Harley spun her around, falling quickly into a makeshift dance as they began to spin in circles. Her vision swam, and with each twirl Harley began to blur as they went faster and faster. Harley was giggling uncontrollably as they spun, her laughter the only way Dinah knew Harley was even still there. _

_ At least, until the silence hit her. Dinah collided roughly with something in front of her. The room continued to spin around her as Dinah tried to ground herself. Hands were at her waist within an instant, keeping her steady. _

_ “You okay?” _

_ Opening her eyes, she learned it was Helena she had run into. Helena, who’s hands on Dinah’s hips were keeping her upright. There was a frown on her face and concern in her eyes, but that wasn’t what stopped Dinah from answering. Helena was wearing what was once a white suit, now stained red with blood. A crimson trail of it trickled slowly from Helena’s temple, tracing the curve of her cheekbone as it crept down and disappeared under the corner of her jaw. _

_ “Helena—you’re bleeding.” Dinah reaches up to touch her, but Helena caught her by the wrist. _

_ “You okay?” Helena asked again, ignoring Dinah’s question. _

_ Dinah didn’t know, but found herself nodding. Helena was visibly injured, but was acting as if nothing was wrong. She took a step back to turn, pulling Dinah against her side. Dinah could feel the weight and warmth of Helena’s body as Helena wrapped her arm around Dinah’s waist. She was in no rush, ignoring the wall of flames that was beginning to consume the funhouse around them. Despite her condition, Helena’s presence filled Dinah with a strong sense of comfort. _

_ “Building is going to burn down.” Helena muttered, leading Dinah away from the mirrors. _

_ “Okay.” _

_ She let Helena guide her effortlessly through the building, inevitably heading toward the exit. She thought it best not to question why Helena was so blasé about the whole matter. _

_ “Renee’s waiting outside.” _

_ “I know—I saw her.” _

_ Never leaving Dinah’s side, Helena pushed the exit door open when they reached it. The sunset washed the pier with an orange glow, and as they stepped outside together Dinah began to see flecks of ash floating through the air. _

_ Her car was where she had seen it last, though when she had viewed it through the upstairs window it had been in pristine condition. Now, it looked as if it had been struck by a semi-truck. Renee was standing nearby, hands planted on her hips as she watched smoke billow from under the hood. _

_ “Renee, what the hell?” _

_ She was met with a shrug. “Beats me, kid.” _

_ The engine began sputtering, struggling to turn over. “You drove it last.” _

_ The car roared to life as Renee spoke, and the headlights lit up, blinding Dinah with a flash of white light. _

* * *

_ This is all my fault. _

Helena felt like she was suffocating, but she could no longer tell if this feeling was caused by her bruised and broken ribs or by the weight of her own guilt bearing down on her chest.

The longer she sat here, the heavier this weight became. She’d gone over her decisions a thousand times, and still couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment that she’d screwed everything up. The Penguin had known, even before she’d stepped protectively in front of Harley and given herself away.  _ They set us up.  _ Even knowing this, Helena felt responsible.

It was hard not to, with Dinah now stable - but unconscious, laying in the hospital bed nearby. After she’d been released herself, Helena had adamantly refused to leave her, despite all of Renee’s protests. This left Helena, still covered in blood, sitting in a nearby chair - waiting. For what, she wasn’t sure, but she knew she couldn’t leave.

_ I should have been more careful. I should have reacted faster. I could have protected her. _

Logic told Helena otherwise, but Helena was beyond reasoning with herself. The bottom line was that they had made a mistake, and it was Dinah who paid the price for it.

_ It should have been me _ .

It didn’t change anything, as much as she wanted it to. Helena would have traded places with her in a heartbeat if the circumstances would allow.

Renee was there, had been there, a presence that flitted in and out, that Helena seldom noticed. She’d been in and out of the room since Dinah had been moved there. Normally, all the coming and going would have bothered Helena, but it was getting harder to notice. A few times Renee had offered her water or coffee, or even a pack of crackers. Helena had refused everything Renee tried to give her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten, but there was no hunger to speak of, no thirst. Helena felt almost numb - and wanted for nothing.

She barely noticed the doctor or the nurses when they came. They were little more than noise, a fleeting presence. Helena hadn’t even bothered to get a good look at them, it was best to ignore them - to stay out of their way and wait for something to change.

Renee’s voice was speaking in the hallway, but Helena couldn’t catch any of the words. Not that she was trying to, whatever Renee was doing wasn't any of her concern.

But then, Helena heard Oliver. Right now he was the last person Helena wanted to see. On the one hand, she felt indebted to him for helping get Dinah to safety. On the other, he now had ample opportunity to gloat, and Helena didn’t have the strength to care, or to fight him if he chose to rub it in her face.

When the pair entered the room, Helena didn’t bother looking up. Renee sat down in the seat that was left for her on the opposite side of Dinah’s bed, while Oliver chose to remain in the doorway. Their prolonged silence had to mean something, but Helena didn’t know what. She stared at one section of the tile flooring, refusing to blink until her eyes began to burn.

“Helena?” Renee has taken to speaking to her softly since they’d been visiting the hospital, and now was no exception to the trend. Helena sighed heavily, but she looked at her. “Oliver came to talk—.”

“About?”

Oliver cleared his throat, but Helena refused to look at him - she couldn’t. “I’ve talked to the Justice League all morning.” He began.  _ I don’t care.  _ “The kid found her way into the Penguin’s office last night, and what she found - well - it’s not good. So they’ll be stepping in from here on out, cleaning up this mess.”

He stopped, but Helena found it hard to believe that was all he had to say. Reluctantly, she looked up to see him leaning against the wall, having changed out of his Green Arrow attire sometime since she’d seen him last.

“You guys did good work…” He added slowly, eyes shifting to the side when Helena stared at him. “...given the limited information and not-so-perfect circumstances.”

Helena looked over at Dinah’s still unmoving body, and couldn’t help but feel confused. “You call this good?”

“You know what I mean—.”

“I really don’t. There is not a single part of this that is  _ good.  _ I nearly got Dinah killed.”

The look he gave Renee did not go unnoticed. “Helena that wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it was. I was the reason she was there to begin with —if I hadn’t tried to fucking protect Harley—.” She wouldn’t finish that sentence. That was one thing Helena wouldn’t change, even if given the opportunity. 

“If I recall, you didn’t want to be there.” Oliver argued. “So I'm confused—.”

_ Maybe I did want a fight. _

It wouldn’t be like this, though.

“If I hadn’t acted like an idiot—.”

Surprisingly, Renee stopped her. “You’re the only reason  _ any  _ of us got out of there.” Oliver was nodding his agreement, but Helena didn’t want to listen. “This was an ambush from the beginning. You can’t help that.”

“I should have seen it coming—.”

“You  _ did.  _ We just didn’t listen.”

“Doesn’t change anything.” Helena muttered bitterly.

Oliver took a tentative step forward, choosing his words carefully. “Helena, thinking like that’s not going to do you any favors. Renee is right—you did more than the rest of us.”

If that was the case, why did she feel like she hadn’t done enough?

“That’s hard to believe.”

“Helena.”

She didn’t want to argue anymore. She knew they were right, but the pit in her stomach remained. There was no reasoning with this.

“Forget it.” She looked down at her hands, a tough feat for her stiff neck. They were still stained red like her shirtsleeves, the edges of her fingernails still black with dried blood.

Renee noticed her staring and spoke up. “Maybe you should go home.”

That was the last place Helena wanted to be, but she wouldn’t say so.

“You need to get cleaned up, kid.”

It was true, but Helena didn’t need to be at home - not without Dinah, not alone.

“I’ll go later.” It was a lie she hoped would pacify Renee long enough to shut her up.

“Hellooooo?” Helena saw Oliver flinch at the sound of Harley’s voice. She - and Cass - we’re both peering through the cracked door. “Too crowded?”

“Understatement.” Renee grumbled.

“Just wanted to see how birdie was doing.”

“Still asleep,” Renee answered. “Doctor says it’ll be a while.”

Helena’s eyes dropped to the floor.  _ At least Renee heard them.  _ She could feel Harley’s eyes boring into her.

“Lovebird?”

Helena clenched her fists together and bit her tongue.

As usual, Harley was undeterred. “You okay?”

“She needs to go home and...shower.” Renee answered for her. “Maybe get some food.”

“I’m fine.” Helena growled through gritted teeth. “I’ll go later.”

“You’ll go  _ now.” _ Renee insisted.

“The hell I will.”

Helena was tired of people telling her what to do today. Especially Renee.

“You’re filthy.” Renee tried again, more gently this time. “Go home. Shower. You’ll feel better.”

Helena found that hard to believe, but if she argued any further,  _ someone  _ would start yelling. If that happened she’d likely be thrown out, and she didn’t want anyone keeping her from Dinah, especially now.

“She probably wants to be alone.” Oliver suggested.

For once, the idea of being alone was probably  _ not  _ the best idea. 

The next thing Helena knew, Harley was squatting in front of her chair and commanding Helena’s attention. “No she don’t.”

“Stop it.” Helena warned. She was in no mood for another one of Harley’s psychoanalysis attempts. 

They stared at each other for several seconds before Harley stood and offered Helena her hand. “C’mon then. Me an’ the kid’ll take ya home. We can come back when ya don’t look like a serial killer.”

Coming from someone else, Helena would have refused the offer. But she  _ did  _ need a shower. With her good arm she took Harley’s hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Having been seated and unmoving for  _ hours _ , her back and ribs screamed in protest, and it took a moment for her to catch her breath. Everything ached, which had been easy to ignore when she was seated. 

“Easy.” Harley warned.

“Had worse.” Helena lied.

She followed Harley stiffly into the ball, pointedly ignoring Renee’s ‘see ya later’. If she was forced to go home, Helena didn’t want to stay for long, no longer than necessary. Harley grabbed Cass by the arm, spinning her around and leading her ahead of Helena.

She was saying something about a car, but Helena had a hard time listening as she dragged her feet behind them.

Helena was hardly paying attention to  _ where  _ they were going, only following the bob of Harley’s pigtails moving in front of her. She followed them to the parking lot, but the car Harley brought her to was  _ not  _ Dinah’s. This snapped Helena out of her daze, and she planted her feet on the pavement, staring at Harley as she and Cass climbed inside.

“Where’s Dinah’s car?”

Cass bit her lip, avoiding Helena to instead turn to look at Harley in the driver’s seat.

“Harley.”

“Yeah—about that.” Harley stopped and shrugged. “Get in. You’ll see.”

The last time Helena had seen Dinah’s car, it was barely crawling along. Harley had been tasked with getting the car home, or at least off the road. Everyone had been so busy at the hospital that Helena hadn’t even considered following up with her about it.

Helena folded herself into the back seat, wincing as she settled back against the leather cushions. She made a vague attempt at fastening her seatbelt, but when the pain shot through her shoulder she decided against it, allowing the seatbelt to loop limply around her arm.

_ Close enough. _

Helena leaned her head against the headrest, trying to gently stretch her neck hoping that would ease the stiffness if not the pain.

“So…” Harley glanced in the rear view mirror. “What’s for dinner? Pizza? Take out? Uh….”

“I’m not hungry.” Harley sighed heavily as Helena said it. “Get what you want.”

“Ya gotta eat, y’know.”

“Not hungry.” She repeated angrily.

Harley sighed again. “Uh huh.”

Helena closed her eyes, hoping - but knowing better - that Harley would take the hint.

“If ya want we can go ta Red’s later. Gotta take the car back. Might make ya feel better.”

“Doubt it.”

“Dinah’s gonna be okay, y’know.”

_ I know that now.  _ “Don’t start.”

“You’re only sore ‘cuz ya think it shoulda been you”

“Harley. Enough.”

They were  _ not  _ going to discuss this. Helena didn’t want Harley to know she was right.

“C’mon, lovebird.”

Helena refused to respond. This was a conversation she was going to avoid at all costs. Thankfully, with her prolonged silence, Harley got the message.

“Grouch.” She muttered

Unfortunately, with nothing else that could be said, there was little to distract Helena from every bump and curve in the road, all of which her body felt very acutely. 

It was a cruel and unusual form of torture, and Helena couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when they finally came to a stop. They were  _ home _ , but Helena found it hard to enjoy such a simple thing today. There was no home without Dinah, and it wouldn’t feel right without her there. Helena didn’t expect to find much rest without her either.

_ I can shower and go back, no problem. _

The only thing that kept her from rushing upstairs and doing just that was catching sight of Dinah’s car, haphazardly parked on the curb. The best thing that could be said for the car was that it had made it this far. The hood hung ajar, the front bumper was gone, and one of the tires was bent inwards. Helena was sure there was more damage on the inside, things that she could not yet see - but it was all far too much for her to handle on her own.

“You drove it all this way?” She asked as Harley stood next to her and surveyed the damage. 

“Mmhmm! It was still smokin’ but...well it limped home. Died right here.”

That was all Helena could ask for. She didn’t need to know how much of this damage was caused by Dinah - or by Harley on the return trip. It didn’t matter. It would need to be fixed.

“I’ll have to call a tow truck.” This was meant to remind herself, more than anything.

“Later.” Harley insisted, nudging Helena toward the building. “When ya don’t look like—.”

“A serial killer.” Helena finished, remembering what Harley had said earlier.

“Yeah! You got it.”

“Yeah. Well, thanks for the ride, guys.”

“Ya don’t want us to come upstairs with ya?”

“No.” Helena lied. She didn’t  _ want  _ to be alone, but she didn’t know how to explain that to Harley, and was far too proud to ask. “I’m fine.”

Harley’s bottom lip stuck out in disappointment, and she exchanged a glance with Cass. Helena sighed and gave them another ‘later’, turning and heading inside. They made no attempt to follow her, but could have easily caught up with her as she slowly climbed the stairs. By the time Helena reached the top she was winded, her ribs aching as each breath burned her lungs. She leaned heavily against the door and took a few moments to try and recover.

“Fuck.” She muttered to herself. “That hurts.”

The pain had been well-earned from the fall she took with Harley, and it didn’t look like she’d be forgetting about it any time soon.

_ I need to go lay down.  _ Her shower was forgotten, now. There wouldn’t be any sleeping, but Helena hoped lying down would help ease the pain.

When she finally caught her breath, she forced herself to open the door. The apartment was dark and empty, and even though she knew to expect it, this emptiness felt like a punch to the gut.

_ I miss her.  _ It was odd, knowing where Dinah was, and missing her despite this. The whole apartment didn’t feel the same without her, especially knowing that it would be a while before Dinah came home.

Helena walked around slowly, cutting on as many lights as she could. Next came the television, useless noise to fill the empty space around her. The silence had never bothered Helena before, but something about this was  _ different. _

She was in the middle of gingerly lowering herself into the couch when the apartment door flew open behind her. Harley swooped in like a whirlwind with Cass hot in her heels.

“Harley, what the hell—.”

Harley rushed over to her, wrapping her arms around Helena’s waist and hoisting her off the couch. “—ow— _ Harley— _ ow.”

“Time for some tough love, fucker.”

Harley gave her a deliberate squeeze and Helena sucked in a sharp breath at the pain. She had no choice but to let Harley walk her backwards - there was no fighting her in her current condition.

Harley drug her into the bathroom, smacking the light switch with her hand as Helena continued to protest. 

“Harley this fucking hurts—.”

Harley pushed her, the back of her knees catching the bathtub. Helena toppled backward, her head hitting the wall as she fell into the tub. The breath was knocked from her lungs and the room spun around her for a few seconds. All her previous injuries flashed with a searing hot pain, but despite this Helena helplessly tried to right herself.

“What the fuck, Har—.” She was cut off by the cold spray of water that hit her from the shower head. Helena sputtered as she got soaked, looking up to see Harley watching her with her hands planted on her hips. “Harley!”

“Ya gotta learn ta let us help ya, Helena.” Harley said matter-of-factly.

“My fucking ribs are broken—how does this  _ help  _ me?!”

“Shower’ll make ya feel better. Like Montoya said.”

“I was going to—.”

“You were  _ gonna  _ sit on that couch without movin’ the rest of the day.”

Helena wanted to argue, but Harley was probably right. “Okay—I get it—but I can’t shower like  _ this.” _

Harley bent over and grabbed her again, but lifting the now soaked Helena out of the tub was no easy feat. Eventually, they managed it, though Helena had to lean her full weight against Harley once she was standing so she could catch her breath.

“Okay, so—.”

“Mm-mm.” Helena panted, a wheeze to her voice. “Give me—give me a minute.”

“You’re fine.” Harley complained. “Big baby.”

Helena blinked away the start of tears as her eyes watered from the pain, shaking her head. “Easy—for—you—to say.”

“Uh huh. Shower.”

Helena took as deep a breath as she was able. “Okay. Okay...you...uh—.” Moving was...difficult. “You’ll have to help me, Harley. With—uh—clothes.” When Harley raised her eyebrow, Helena added: “Please?”

“Seriously?”

Helena didn’t want to ask. But everything hurt, and thanks to Harley’s stunt her clothes were now saturated with water and clinging to her. So Helena nodded, and gestured toward the sling holding her arm against her chest as if this would help drive the point home.

“Fine.” Harley reached for the door and rolled her eyes. “Be out in a few, kid!” 

_ Maybe not the best idea. _

“Cass—.” Helena started, but she didn’t succeed in saying ‘help me’ before Harley pulled the door shut.

* * *

“Fuck.” Dinah groaned as she tried to stretch out and get comfortable. When she finally managed to get somewhat settled, she heard a quiet chuckle coming from the corner. 

Renee was curled into the chair next to Dinah’s bed, cup of coffee in hand.

“Morning, sunshine.” Renee said. “How ya feelin’?”

Dinah took a deep breath and gave it some thought. She didn’t feel  _ good. _ “Like I got hit by a bus.” Her voice was weaker than she expected, hoarse and raspy.

Renee nodded in understanding.

“You’re not the only one feeling like that right now.”

_ Helena. _

Looking around, Dinah found herself searching for Helena. The last time Dinah had seen her she had been sitting in the chair Renee now occupied.

“Where’s Helena?”

“We talked better into going home. She needed to get cleaned up.”

“Is she okay?” Dinah didn’t care  _ where  _ she was, so long as Helena was alright. “She was hurt. What—.”

“Easy.” Renee soothed. “She’ll be okay. She’s a little beat up - few broken bones. But she’s tough.”

“And Cass? Harley?”

“They’re with Helena at home. Both fine.”

Relieved, Dinah manager to crack a smile. “What happened?”

“Guessing you don’t remember much.”

“I’m trying.”

“Oliver got you out.” Renee explained. “After you got shot. Helena...Helena killed all of the Penguin’s lackeys. I had to drag her outta there.”

“Where  _ is  _ Ollie?”

“He’s been making some phone calls.”

“Justice League?”

“Mmhmm.”

Dinah had been afraid of that. “I’m guessing the Penguin got out.”

Renee’s eyes rolled. “In a puff of smoke - with Starling. Cass found something in his office, but Oliver hasn’t shared that information with us yet.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“I won’t.”

Dinah sighed. “Looks like we’re gonna be taking a vacation.”

“Something like that.” Renee reluctantly agreed. “It’ll take both of you a few weeks to bounce back. Helena especially.”

“How is she?” Dinah couldn’t help but worry. “I mean—has she said anything?”

“Not much. You know how she is.”

Dinah  _ did  _ know, that was part of the problem.

“She’s blaming herself for this whole mess.”

“Just her, huh?”

“I think we all made some mistakes. But we’ll talk about it later - when you’re both feeling better.”

Renee had good intentions, and maybe she was right, but Dinah wanted to talk to Helena  _ now. _

“I want to see her.” Seeing Helena - talking to her - would make both of them feel better. She trusted that when Renee said Helena was fine that Helena  _ was,  _ but that couldn’t compare with seeing her for herself and knowing it as a fact.

Renee looked at her tiredly. “Wait a few, give her a chance to actually shower. If I call now she’ll drop everything and be here in five.”

_ Probably sooner. _

“I’ll call Ollie too.”

“Don’t bother.” Dinah didn’t want to risk the headache. “He’s busy.”

“He asked me to, Dinah.”

“So call him later. Just...not right now.”

“Okay.”

Renee learned back in her chair and finished her cup of coffee. There were dark circles around her eyes, and she looked exhausted.

“Have you slept?”

Renee slowly shook her head. “No. But neither has Bertinelli.”

_ Not the same. _

“What have you been doing?”

“Spent some time talking to Oliver.” Renee said, bringing her hand up to stifle a yawn. “Otherwise I’ve been here.”

“Renee I’ve been  _ asleep.” _

Renee simply shrugged. “I know. But one of us needed to be here - didn’t want you to wake up and be alone.”

“You’re going soft.” Dinah was touched, really, but had to tease her. “I’d have been okay.”

“Maybe, but if I’m not here, Helena would be. She needed to go home.”

“Did she ask you to stay?”

“No. I just—I figured it would make her feel better knowing I was here.”

“Aww, Renee.”

“Shut up.”

Dinah tried to laugh, but that hurt. “Call Helena and I might.”

Renee pushed herself out of her chair, groaning as she stretched her arms above her head. “I’ll go do that right now, just so you’ll leave me alone.”

Renee could bluff all she wanted, but Dinah knew she was showing how much she really cared in her own way - even if she didn’t want to admit it.

“Thank you, Renee:”

Renee’s response was a dismissive wave before she ducked into the hallway to make her phone call, but Dinah couldn’t help but smile.

* * *

“Y’know, ma’am, this ain’t gonna be cheap.”

Helena rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. “I know.”

“Could wreck the thing, then get a new one.”

That was unacceptable. “No thank you.” Helena kept her voice firm. “If you won’t fix it, I’ll find someone else who will.”

“You’re stuck on this, huh?”

“ _ Yes.  _ Whatever you need in order to fix it, do it. I want it good as new. Top to bottom.”

“Gonna hurt your pockets, not mine.”

The building door opened up behind Helena, and she was soon joined on the sidewalk by Harley and Cass. Helena looked at Harley and arched a brow.

“Renee just called. Birdie’s awake and wants ta see ya.”

“Okay.”  _ Time to wrap this up. _

“We’ll take ya.” Harley offered. “We’ve still got Red’s car.”

Helena would have preferred to go alone, but with her only reliable transportation being her motorcycle she was in no state to take herself. She would not have  _ asked  _ for Harley’s help, though since Harley offered she felt more comfortable accepting.

Helena didn’t particularly care about how Harley got her to the hospital, so long as she got to see Dinah. Being away from her had not done Helena’s nerves any good. She’d called the tow-truck to keep herself busy in the hopes that fixing it would help her feel better. No matter how much it cost.

The car was ready, now. With the car secured to the tow-truck the mechanic who had come for it was now bent over in the cab of the truck, searching for something.

When he re-emerged he was holding a small metal clipboard, which he handed to Helena with a pen on top. The sling she wore on her left arm made holding the clipboard a little difficult, but she was determined to manage.

“We’ll need your address, best number to reach you at, etcetera. Just fill out all the boxes.”

“Need help?” Harley asked.

Helena grumbled out a ‘no’, holding the pen tightly in her right hand. She scribbled down all the pertinent information quickly, making sure to double-check that everything was correct.

“How soon will it be done?” Helena asked when she was finished.

“Dunno. We’ll call you in a few days.”

He took the clipboard from her, gave it a glance, then nodded. Satisfied, he climbed back into his truck and prepared to leave.

“You’re really gonna fix it, huh?” Harley asked from her side.

“Yes.”

_ I promised. _

When Dinah was released from the hospital - whenever that moment came - Helena wanted to be able to assure her that her car was being taken care of. In her current condition, Helena felt like this was the only thing she could do. She could at least make sure it was handled properly. 

Sighing, Helena watched the truck pull away from the curb with Dinah’s car in tow.  _ Hopefully it’s fixable _ . As he drove away, Cass laid her head against Helena’s shoulder, carefully hugging her waist. Helena put her arm around Cass and let her cheek lean against Cass’ head for just a moment, before Harley wrapped both of them up in a hug.

“Easy.” Helena wheezed when Harley squeezed both of them. “Hurts.”

Harley, either from realization or fear of Helena  _ removing  _ her, let both of them go rather quickly, but not without the jingle of keys in her hand. “Okay sad times over time ta go.”

Helena rolled her eyes, trying to hide the chuckle that escaped her. “C’mon, Cass.”

\----

Helena was stalling. She couldn’t deny it, even if she wanted to. Not that there was anyone around paying attention to what she was doing as she limped aimlessly around the hallway. She  _ wanted  _ to see Dinah, but the guilty feelings from before constricted her chest and made it hard to think straight. Dinah was okay, that was what mattered, everything else would be dealt with as soon as time allowed. 

_ Still my fault. _

Helena began looking for something to do, anything that would buy her a few more minutes as she tried to think of what she could say, what she should do. It didn’t help knowing that Renee would likely still be there, and would use Dinah’s consciousness as leverage to get Helena to eat or drink, considering she’d already conceded to the shower order from earlier.

With Dinah backing her up, Helena would do just about anything Renee asked - and they all knew it. But avoiding Renee was out of the question if she was still with Dinah. Helena’s only other option became clear: she had to eat. It didn’t matter that she still wasn’t hungry, or that she had no means of leaving the hospital now that she was there other than to walk, which with the way she was limping wasn’t much to consider. She didn’t quite feel like searching for the cafeteria either in the maze of hospital rooms and wards that she had not yet seen and did not want to navigate. 

It was the wandering that led Helena to a little nook next to a waiting room, where she heard the tell-tale hum of a vending machine. There were two that she found, one stocked with sodas that she had no taste for, and one filled with a variety of snacks and candies, including a pack of crackers that were identical to the ones Renee had offered her earlier that morning.

_ This’ll have to do. _

She fumbled with her pockets until she found her wallet, opening it up with a sigh. This vending machine was unfortunately not one of the ones she liked - the ones that took credit cards - and she didn’t keep cash on her person often unless she expected to be around Cass or Harley, who inevitably always needed money for  _ something. _

But Helena was in luck, tucked inside a folded up receipt she found a few dollars, enough for a bag of chips. She couldn’t remember why she’d even kept the receipt until she saw the doodles on the back of it, written in blue ink. At the bottom, a heart had been drawn, and inside it Dinah had written ‘lovebird’, mimicking what Harley had done to their bathroom mirror with lipstick. That felt like years ago now, even though it had only been a few months. Still, Helena couldn’t help but smile as she carefully examined the receipt before refolding it and returning it to its designated spot inside her wallet. 

She took the time to unfold the dollars and rubbed them against the corner of the vending machine in an attempt to make them a little flatter. It wasn’t an easy task one-handed, but she managed to get them looking decent enough. It took two tries to get the machine to take them, but once they were finally pulled in she was able to make a selection. She picked an average looking bag of chips, knowing that it wouldn’t do much for her nutritionally but that it would at least keep Renee off her back for a little while. It was  _ something.  _

The coil holding the chips in place creaked and began to twist, agonizingly slow, until the bag was almost to the end and on the cusp of falling. As Helena got ready for it to tumble, the bag tipped forward, wedging itself against the glass. From there, it never budged.

The humming of the vending machine stopped, the coil grew still, and Helena realized that her bag of chips, her makeshift peace offering, was stuck before her very eyes.

Somehow, this was too much. Tears stung her eyes as she gently shook the sides of the vending machine. “Come on…”

The bag of chips remained where it was despite her, and Helena pressed her forehead against the glass and closed her eyes. Why this of all things was what finally broke her, was beyond her understanding. 

She hated this feeling, this lack of control, and how everything she seemed to do lately turned out to be wrong. Nothing she did went the way she wanted, and Helena desperately wanted to regain some form of control over her life.

Approaching footsteps pulled her attention away from the vending machine and she stumbled backwards, hastily wiping her tears from her eyes. Helena shoved her wallet back into her pocket and hurried around the corner, hoping she didn’t draw too much attention to herself before she was able to make it to Dinah’s room.

_ I need to go see Dinah. _

She had put it off long enough and now she felt foolish, but she’d be damned if she let someone catch her crying here. Especially not over a bag of chips.

* * *

The light knock at the door pulled Dinah from her doze. She yawned and turned her head to the door, met by the sight of the one person she wanted to see: Helena, watching her from the doorway with a tired, defeated smile. 

“Hey,” Dinah said hoarsely.

Helena’s smile got a little brighter, despite her red, puffy eyes.  _ Has she been crying?  _ She pushed away from the doorway and limped into the room, shutting the door behind her. “Hey. Where’s Renee?”

“She said you were on the way and went to get some food.”

Helena nodded, slowly lowering herself onto the edge of Dinah’s bed. She looked just as exhausted as Renee had.

“You look like shit.”

“Feel like it too.” Helena grumbled.

Dinah reached out and placed her hand over Helena’s, where it was planted on the bed next to her leg and gave it a squeeze.

“Do you feel okay?” Helena asked worriedly.

“Mmhmm.” Dinah promised. “One of us is on some pretty strong pain-killers.”

“And when they wear off?”

“I’ll feel like I did when I woke up.” She felt like she’d been hit by a truck. The feeling wasn’t something she hoped to experience again soon.

Helena didn’t laugh, but Dinah hadn’t expected her to. “Bad?”

“Mm. I’ll be okay, really.”

“This was my fault.”

Dinah understood, but she wanted to put a stop to that thought right now. “If we blame anyone, I’m picking Harley- or Oliver- not you.”

“I’m the one who told Harley where we were going.” Helena muttered. But then, she hesitated, her hand balling into a fist. Stiffly, she turned her head to get a better look at Dinah. “What do you mean, Oliver?”

Dinah had second thoughts about telling her she suspected Oliver was withholding information from them. They’d been through enough. Today, it could wait.

“I’ll tell you later.” With the angry look Helena gave her, Dinah gave her hand another squeeze. “I’ve still got to find out if I’m right.”

Helena didn’t relax the way Dinah had hoped, instead closing her eyes and sighing. “You could have died.”

“You too.” Dinah corrected. It was hard to forget. “All I heard was this...crash. And when it was all over it was just you—gasping for breath. What—what happened?”

Renee had told her, but she wanted to hear it from Helena.

“I jumped. With Harley.”

“I heard Harley is fine.”

“She is.” Helena deadpanned. “She had a cushion. Me.”

Helena pulled her hand away to pick a piece of lint from her pants. If Helena regretted the decision, she said nothing to show it.

“And the fire?”

“That was...both of us.” Dinah was hoping for more of an explanation but none came. “Starling—she got away.”

“I remember.” Her memory didn’t hold much more past that. Helena had shot Starling, who had taken off after the fact.

“I didn’t—I couldn’t go after her. I should have.”

“Helena—.”

“I couldn’t leave you.” She shook her head. “If I had just let the Penguin shoot Harley—.”

“He knew. He would have shot you too.”

“I could have helped you.”

“You  _ did  _ help me.” Dinah hoped she’d understand. Dinah had heard what happened next from Renee - Oliver had carried her out of the lounge and to safety at Helena’s insistence.

“I killed them.” Helena said quietly, but rather abruptly. “The guys he hired. All of them.”

Renee had told her that, too. “I know.” Dinah would have tried to give Helena some comfort but her current position in her hospital bed put a stop to that. “Helena?” She couldn’t take this feeling away from Helena no matter how badly she wanted to, but she could certainly  _ try  _ to ease the burden. “Is Cass safe?”

“Yes.” Helena replied.

“And you protected Harley. You helped get me out of there. If—If you hadn’t killed them, what would they have done?”

“I don’t know.”

“You did what you had to, Helena.”

“It’s not like that. I—I saw the blood— _ your  _ blood, Dinah, and I just—I just lost it.” Helena looked at her hands in her lap, as if they were still stained red.

“Would you change anything you did?”

A silence fell between them as Helena turned her right hand over and began examining her palm. If Dinah’s gut was right, Helena had been combing over every second from the night before, pinpointing every ‘mistake’ and cursing herself for all of them.

“Doesn’t matter.” Helena finally answered with a whisper. “I can’t change it.”

“Then why are you beating yourself up?”

“I don’t know.”

It was Dinah’s turn to sigh. She didn’t know what else to say, and if their roles were reversed she couldn’t say she wouldn’t have reacted the same way. Hashing it out over and over wouldn’t make it better, either.

“You did enough.” Dinah left it at that. It was over. Though Oliver still hadn’t clued them in on what exactly they’d walked into, Dinah was temporarily satisfied that they had all  _ survived.  _ For now, she wouldn’t be greedy and ask for anything more.

Helena seemed puzzled, a frown on her face as she twisted to look around the room as if she was taking in her surroundings properly for the first time.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s dark in here.” It  _ was,  _ Dinah had been spending the majority of her time unconscious, so she understood why. “Do you - do you want me to open the blinds?”

“Sure.”

Helena was already up - likely going to open them regardless of what Dinah’s answer had been. She moved slowly, her body rigid and stiff except for the limp she was doing her best to compensate for. Raising the blinds turned into an exercise in its own right when she reached for the pull-cord, twisting and tugging every direction only for the blinds to remain stubbornly as they were.

Helena swore under her breath, gradually finding the root of the problem and fumbling around heavy-handed it for a few moments. Dinah couldn’t make out what exactly Helena was doing, but it didn’t matter. Shortly thereafter the blinds  _ did  _ lift, and the room was illuminated in sunlight. From the bed, Dinah didn’t have much of a view, though if she craned her neck she could see the far corner of the street that ran next to the hospital.

Helena returned to her seat on the edge of the bed, clearly having only worsened her prior frustration. 

“Thank you, Helena.”

‘Welcome’ was grumbled back at her as Helena reached to readjust the sling on her arm to make it a little more comfortable.

“Still love me?”

The question was asked playfully, though it caused Helena to slowly turn her position so that she could look at Dinah properly. There was a thoughtful look in Helena’s eye behind the exhausted facade. There was no immediate answer, but Dinah wasn’t given any cause to worry. 

Bracing herself with her uninjured arm, Helena sighed and leaned over to kiss Dinah’s forehead. “Of course I do.”

Dinah gingerly cupped Helena’s cheek in her hand, unable to contain her smile. “I know.” She whispered as their foreheads brushed together. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

The puff of air blown through Helena’s nose was the closest thing to a laugh Dinah could get out of her.

“I’m not joking.” Dinah added with a serious tone. It was one thing to see Helena now - to be able to  _ touch  _ her and know she was alright - but the fear from the night before still sat in Dinah’s stomach. Thinking that Helena might be dying, that she was on the cusp of losing the one person she loved more than anyone or anything else in the world. It had almost been too much to bear.

“If you can promise not to get shot again, we’ll have a deal.” Helena countered.

_ Got me there. _

“I see your point.” There was no use in either of them making promises they couldn’t keep.

“Mmhmm.”

“Are you not hurting?” She had to ask, since Helena was still leaning heavily on her arm in order to be closer to Dinah.

“I’ll survive.”

“You could lay down.” Dinah offered. “I’ve got enough room.”

The corner of Helena’s mouth turned up with a grin. “Could. But that would probably irritate your nurses, and I wouldn’t want to leave you.”

“Mm.” Dinah had no doubt of that. “Unfortunately visiting hours are a thing here, huh?”

“—and I plan on being here for all of them.” Helena murmured as she leaned in for a kiss.

It was a slow, tender affair, as if Helena was afraid anymore enthusiasm might cause either of them to shatter into a million pieces like a porcelain doll. Dinah wasn’t too upset, there would be plenty of time for more, later, when she wasn’t confined to a hospital bed and Helena didn’t move around like a ninety-year old man who’d slept in his recliner too long. For now it was enough to have this simple connection - to know wholly and undoubtedly that they were both  _ alive -  _ and that everything in Dinah’s world was now alright, as the previous feelings of worry and fear melted away.

Pulling away was the cruelest thing Helena could have done, even though the look of pure adoration Helena gave her in its place made it worthwhile.

“I love you.” Helena told her.

_ I know.  _ “I love you, too.”

Helena straightened up and winced at the movement. With Helena out of the way, Dinah could see Renee standing in the doorway.

“God damn it, Montoya.”  _ How long has she been standing there?  _ “Can you knock?”

“Could.” Renee shrugged, stepping inside with a cup of coffee in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. “Didn’t want to interrupt.”

“Uh huh.”

Renee tossed the chips to Helena, who barely reacted in time to catch them. “These are for you - you better eat ‘em.”

Wordlessly, Helena popped open the bag and ate a few, though she didn’t do so enthusiastically.

“Glad to see you’re both feeling better.”

Helena nodded, which was a good sign.

“Something like that.” Dinah said.

“Not dead, most importantly.”

“It’s okay, Renee. You can admit you were worried.”

“Mm. Nope.”

“C’mon.”

“Nope.” Renee said again. “In fact, I plan on going home and after a few drinks it’ll be like nothing happened.”

Dinah laughed at the idea. “Fair enough. Drink one for me.”

“You got it.” Renee winked. “I’d drink for Helena too, but I think she’ll do that on her own.”

“When do we start?” Helena asked.

Renee threw her head back and laughed, and Dinah joined her, laughing until her stomach hurt and the effort pulled on her wound.

“Ow.” Dinah gasped through her laughter. “That fuckin’ hurt.”

“I’ll drink two, then.” Renee promised as Dinah tried to stop laughing.

“As long as we don’t go with Harley,” Helena agreed. “I haven’t recovered from last time.”

Renee shook her head, wiping a tear from her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. “Amateurs.”

* * *

“Has she eaten anything?”

“No. Me an’ the kid have tried everything.”

Helena was laying in bed, eyes closed as tight as she could squeeze them. But she had no way of shutting out the sound of Harley and Renee talking in the living room. It was late. Bedtime. They needed to go away - to go to sleep and leave Helena alone.

She’d been laying in bed for at least an hour now, she thought. Helena had left Harley and Cass in the living room at seven-thirty, using her alleged tiredness as an excuse to go to bed and be alone. She  _ was  _ tired, but the empty bed wouldn’t help that. Helena couldn’t sleep. Not here. Not like this. Not without Dinah.

She wouldn’t have left the hospital at all, had it been her choice. But the doctors were insistent that visitation ended the same time every day. Helena didn’t understand why they couldn’t make an exception, but she was in no condition to argue with them. 

Now all she could do was wait. First thing in the morning, she would be allowed back inside. It couldn’t come soon enough. If she  _ could _ sleep, she would, just to make the time pass faster. Her mind had other ideas though, and there was no way to convince herself to relax or settle down.

She wasn’t sure what time it was, now. Regardless, it would be easier to rest if the apartment was quiet. Harley - who didn’t know what quiet  _ was,  _ had been enough on her own. Then Renee showed up, and Helena had been getting bits and pieces of their conversation for a few minutes now. To their credit they did seem to be  _ trying  _ to speak quietly, though it wasn’t as effective as they might have hoped.

Helena thought she heard Renee sigh. “I don’t know what to do. Honestly. We can’t force her to eat.”

“It’s just the stress. Once she calms down—.”

“How do we do that? She says she’s fine.”

_ I am fine.  _

“Dunno. Depends.”

“On?”

“She’s gotta let us in first.”

“Yeah like that’s gonna happen.”

Helena opened her eyes, staring out into the darkness. She didn’t want to listen to them anymore, but couldn’t bring herself to tell them to leave. 

_ How late is it? _

Her phone was laying on the bed next to her, facedown on Dinah’s pillow. She couldn’t be bothered to turn it over and check the time, but she kept it close by - just in case. Her anxiety had given her a few scenarios that she’d been ruminating on while she lay here, and all of them required her to keep her phone close, in case Dinah needed her.

“What about...uh, kid who’s that guy she was always callin’? Y’know, when she’d go outside and be on the phone for an hour.”

Helena sat up and tried to listen.  _ Harley noticed that? _

“Oh…” the question brought Cass some pause, but she eventually found the answer. “Her uncle? I think his name is Sal.”

“Sal.” Renee echoed, as if she was testing the name to see if it felt right. “I’d say call him, but...”

Their conversation devolved into murmuring as the realization hit them that they didn’t have Sal’s phone number. Unable to hear anything else they were saying, Helena groaned and slowly eased herself back down into the bed. Getting comfortable wasn’t easy, but at least lying down gave her shoulder some relief.

She never got the chance to close her eyes, as the bedroom door cracked open, sending a thin beam of light across her bedroom. As her eyes adjusted to the change, she saw Cass peering through the gap.

“Hey.” Cass whispered.

“Hey.”

“You’re still up, huh?”

“Mmhmm.”

Without any complaint from Helena, Cass let herself inside. She walked carefully across the room, hesitating when she reached Dinah’s side of the bed. Helena wished she could shrug, but instead she managed to vaguely motion for Cass to sit. 

Helena knew the game - Renee and Harley had undoubtedly sent Cass in there to either retrieve Helena’s cell phone or Sal’s number. Whichever proved to be easiest. 

Helena decided to allow it, since the only thing she expected to come from it would be a lengthy and concerned phone call from Sal the next day. That wouldn’t be so bad, since she hadn’t spoken to him in a while anyway. 

Cass climbed onto the bed beside her, folding her legs underneath her as she sat. She had left the door ajar when she came in, and was now slowly looking around the room.

“Are you just sitting in here by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Were you gonna sleep?”

“No.”

Cass’ eyebrows bunched together was she gave this some thought. “Don’t you wanna hang out with us?”

“No.”

Cass sighed, planting her palms on the bed behind her and leaning back a little. “Why not?”

Helena didn’t have an answer for that. Dinah’s absence made everything feel different, and Helena was beginning to feel out of place in her own home.

Whether she sensed this from Helena or not, Cass spoke again to fill the silence.

“You should put a TV in here.”

“Why?”

“So you can watch it, duh.”

“I don’t watch a lot of TV, Cass.”

“Aren’t you bored?”

“No.”

Cass’ lips had twisted into a worried frown. “Hungry?”

Helena  _ was,  _ though she would insist otherwise. The chips she’d eaten earlier were long gone, and the rumble in her stomach was the biggest sign that she needed to eat something. 

Renee and Harley were one thing, but Helena couldn’t allow herself to worry Cass too. She let out a sigh, gritting her teeth as she forced herself to sit back up on the bed.

Once upright, Helena swung her legs off the bed and slowly stood up.

“Where you goin’?”

Trying not to wince, Helena turned to find Cass watching her with interest.

“To get food, apparently.” Helena relented. “If I lay there much longer I’ll get stiff.”

That was a lie considering she was  _ already _ stiff, but the subtle way Cass’ face brightened as Helena walked around the bed, followed by Cass scrambling down to beat her into the living room made it a lie worth telling.

Harley and Renee were both loitering in the kitchen, though both seemed surprised to see Helena emerge from the bedroom after Cass. 

“She says she wants to eat somethin’.”

Harley, who has spent most of the helping Renee try coerce Helena into eating, clapped her hands together in excitement. Renee seemed relieved by this revelation, but she remained practical.

“Not much open this late.” Renee said. “What do you want, Bertinelli?”

Helena didn’t think ‘nothing’ would go over well, but thankfully she didn’t have to come up with an appropriate answer.

“Breakfast!” Harley shouted excitedly. Before Renee or Helena could object, Harley went head first into the pantry. “I can make waffles—do you guys have eggs?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Ooh I can use this—and this.”

Renee and Helena exchanged a glance, but said nothing - they both  _ knew  _ this wasn’t the best idea. For Helena in particular, she had no interest in getting involved, so it was best to let Harley continue. Helena instead walked over to the kitchen table, gingerly lowering herself down into the chair that Renee pulled out for her. Tomight, Harley could make whatever kind of mess she wanted. Helena would be content to watch.

When Harley backed away from the pantry her arms were laden down with what looked to be a nice mixture of anything and everything she could grab and carry. There was a brightly colored box of fruity cereal on top of the pile in her arms, as well as a few cans of tuna. Helena had to look away when Harley unceremoniously dumped everything onto the counter and began looking for pots and pans. It was better to  _ not  _ know how she created what was surely going to be a culinary abomination.

Cass circled around Renee once, just at the edge of Helena’s vision, but once the pass was made Cass joined Helena at the table. Helena suspected that the handoff of her phone had just occurred, but she couldn’t prove it and didn’t care to try.

Helena let her eyes close with a sigh. She was too tired to keep up with whatever they were doing.

Harley was darting around the kitchen, slamming cupboards, banging pans, opening and closing the fridge repeatedly. A few minutes later and something was  _ burning,  _ but so long as the smoke detector remained silent Helena was unbothered.

_ Please let it be edible. _

By now, Renee had had plenty of time to extract Sal’s number from her phone, Helena thought. She cracked one eye open and peered at Cass, lifting her good arm to rest her hand palm up on the table.

“Can I have my phone back now?”

Cass stared at her blankly for a beat of time, but when Helena made a grabbing motion Cass’ eyes cut toward Renee.

_ Thought so. _

“Renee.”

“Hmm?”

“Will you give me my phone?”

Renee glanced back at Cass for half a second, only confirming Helena’s theory.

“Later!” Harley interrupted. “After ya eat.”

“Are you guys really going to hold my phone hostage?”

Harley brandished a knife at Helena when she asked, and when their eyes met Harley winked.

“Fair enough.”

“Almost done!”

“Mm.”

Within minutes Harley began scattering plates across the table. But the first thing she put in front of Helena was a tower of pink waffles, smothered in chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles.

_ I didn’t know we had sprinkles. _

The next plate set in front of her was an omelette, liberally drizzled with ketchup. The smell alone was offensive - and there was no question as to where the tuna had ended up.

“Eat up.”

Helena didn’t want to hurt Harley’s feelings, but the omelette was likely inedible.  _ I have to eat something. Waffle it is. _

The only thing Harley had given her to eat with was a spoon, so Helena used it to saw off a bite-sized piece of one of the waffles, though it was quickly replaced on the plate by a river of chocolate. However sickly sweet this ended up being, it still looked safer than the tuna.

“Thanks, Harley.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking a week off to take a mini-vacation, so the next chapter will be posted on Saturday September 12th (ish). Almost done!


	17. New Beginnings

“Lovebird, c’mon!”

Helena cursed under her breath, glancing at the closed bedroom door. She’d just gotten out of the shower, and had refused Harley’s offer to help her get dressed. Helena had accepted the first few times, when it had been too painful to do on her own. But now, Helena didn’t think the help was necessary. She didn’t  _ want  _ it to be.

“Fuck’s sake.” Harley complained. “What’re ya doin’? Harvestin’ your own silk?”

_ Ignore her.  _ Dinah was supposed to be coming home today. The doctor had mentioned it to Helena the day before, so Helena had hardly slept from the anticipation. She’d gotten up early in order to shower and get ready, and to try and clean the apartment in the process.

She’d also woken Harley up around seven-thirty, which was the primary cause of Harley’s foul mood.  _ She’ll forgive me later. _

Dressing herself hasn’t been  _ that  _ difficult, at least up until this point. Helena had even successfully gotten into a tank-top without much issue. The long-sleeved dress shirt she had pulled from the closet was a different story entirely. Trying to take her arm from the sling and slip it through the limp sleeve was far harder than Helena expected it to be. Every time she tried, the sleeve twisted around her arm and kept her from getting all the way through, even when she tried to use her good hand to try and help it out.

_ It shouldn’t be this fucking hard. _

As Helena struggled, she heard the front door open.  _ That must be Renee.  _ Renee has called earlier in the morning to see if Helena was awake, promising to come by with breakfast.

“Helena?” She heard Renee’s voice over Harley’s, which only meant she’d been right.

“She’s just outta the shower.” Harley explained. 

Helena stopped what she was doing, leaning her head back and sighing. She should have been ready by now. Footsteps approached the bedroom door, and Helena bit back a groan. 

_ Please don’t come in. _

She didn’t want to deal with that right now.

“You decent?” Renee asked, closer to the door.

_ Working on it.  _ “Yeah.”

She was  _ trying.  _ Nothing she has done lately had gone according to plan. She could barely clean up after herself and her inability to put on a fucking shirt only made her feel worse.

_ I can’t do anything right. _

The doorknob began to turn, despite all of Helena’s prayers. Renee was going to walk straight into the bedroom and see Helena making a fool out of herself - just what Helena needed.

Helena closed her eyes, walking away the tears of frustration she could feel burning behind her eyes as the door creaked open. “God damn it, Renee…”

Helena kept her eyes closed for a moment more as footsteps moved carefully into the room, stopping just over the threshold. The only sign she wasn’t alone was a disappointed sounding ‘tch’ that greeted her. However the voice that finally spoke did not belong to Renee.

“What’re you doing in here, by yourself?”

Helena’s eyes snapped open in an instant. “Sal?!”

He was a sight for sore eyes, standing just inside the doorway, watching her intently. Helena couldn’t stop the tears, now. She knew Renee had planned on getting in touch with him, but she hadn’t expected  _ this. _

“Helena,” Her name came out amidst a soft chuckle when he saw her tears. “What’s wrong?”

There were lots of things - but she didn’t have the words. But for the first time in days Helena felt completely disarmed and vulnerable. By the time Sal opened his arms, Helena was already walking into them. Her head came to rest on his shoulder, only a moment before she began openly sobbing.

Sal’s arms wrapped carefully around Helena as her shoulders shook. All the pain and frustration she’d been holding onto poured from her chest, leaving her in every tear that rolled down her cheeks.

At first, Sal said nothing. He didn’t need to. It was enough that he was there. Sal let her cry, rubbing her back gently as he did so, the pressure of his hand alone enough to soothe her. 

Minutes passed before Helena lifted her head, still sniffling. The shoulder of Sal’s shirt was soaked through with tears, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Before she could wipe the tears from her face, Sal reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. From there, his hand dropped to cup her cheek, and he used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the last of her tears.

“Sorry.” Helena said hoarsely.

“Heard you’ve been having a tough time.”

Helena didn’t know  _ what  _ Renee had told him, but he wasn’t wrong. To emphasize this she drew his attention toward the arm she still had tangled in the limp shirt-sleeve.

“Here.” Sal took a step back so he could reach between them, fussing with the sleeve himself. “Let me help you.”

The extra set of hands proved to be just what Helena needed. Sal made shirt work if they sleeve, and once Helena was wearing it properly he began helping her with the buttons.

“Thank you.”

Sal gave her a serious, knowing look. “Would it kill you to ask for help?”

“Yes.”

He smirked, the only indication that he knew his scolding wouldn’t go very far. “Thought so.” 

Helena grabbed her sling off the bed, offering no argument when Sal helped her put it on.

“When did you get here?” She had to ask.

“My plane landed a couple hours ago. Renee picked me up.”

“I knew she was calling you.” Helena explained, “But I didn’t expect...this.”

“It’s called a surprise.” When she huffed at him, he laughed. “Tomasso wasn’t happy, but I left as soon as I could.”

“Are you staying?”

“For a few days.”

She resisted the urge to hug him again, though Helena did feel slightly overwhelmed with a sense of urgency. There was so many things she needed to tell him - and it would be much easier to catch him up while he was there.

“I was going to go see Dinah.” Helena felt she owed him some explanation for the state he’d found her in. “She’s supposed to come home today.”

“Oh...I’ll come with you.”

_ As if I’d go without you. _

“It’ll be nice to meet her in person, something other than our accidental early morning phone calls.”

“Yeah you like those.” Helena laughed a little, already feeling somewhat better. “More than she does.”

“I’ll ask for forgiveness.”

“For?”

“Always embarrassing her.”

“Oh is that what we’re calling it?”

Sal’s answer was a wink that came just before he stepped to the side and ushered her into the living room. Harley, Renee and Cass were waiting on them there - and Renee wore a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

“Surprise!” Harley giggled.

Helena thanked them quietly, still trying to figure out how they’d managed this without raising her suspicions. “All I expected was a phone call.”

“Told you.” Renee chuckled with a look toward Harley.

“Yeah, yeah. You win, Montoya.” Nudging Cass with her arm, Harley started toward the door. “C’mon, kid. We’ll come back once they bring birdie home.”

Helena didn’t see the need to rush. It would be a few hours yet.  _ I still need to clean. _

“We can’t leave yet—.” Helena started.

“Don’t.” Renee held a hand up to stop her. “Dinah’s been in that hospital too long already. You guys go get her. I’ll clean up here.”

The apartment was a wreck, by Helena’s standards. Not something she wanted Renee to tackle by herself. “I can’t let you do that—there’s laundry—and the dishes—.”

“I’ll have help.” She nodded towards Harley, who was trying to slip out unnoticed. “You can’t do much with one arm, anyway.”

Helena didn’t have the strength to offer much of an argument. She walked over to Renee and conceded to her by pulling her into a side-hug.

“Thank you.”

Renee smiled and gave her a light squeeze. “Go on.”

* * *

The hushed voices near the foot of the bed pulled Dinah from her doze. She couldn’t pick up on any of the words but she  _ could  _ recognize Helena’s voice. Unable to understand what she was saying, Dinah opened her eyes slowly and sought her out. 

Helena was standing at the end of Dinah’s bed, where she was quietly talking with a man Dinah didn’t recognize. The bald, bearded man was responding in kind, and was fussing with the wrinkles on Helena’s collar. Though they spoke quietly, the words flowed effortlessly from Helena’s lips like liquid silk. Dinah couldn’t understand a single word being said - but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy listening.

“That’s hot.” At the sound of Dinah’s voice, they both turned to look at her. “Now I need to learn Italian, right?”

Realization dawned on both of them at the same time. While Helena looked slightly mortified, the man beside her grinned playfully. Dinah had only spoken to him on the phone, but if she had to guess, Dinah would say this this had to be Sal. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Dinah.” He said through a smile.

“You too, Sal.”

Helena didn’t say anything, but she did give Dinah a look that screamed ‘don’t encourage him’. “I’ll teach you all the Italian you want.”

“When’d he get here?” Dinah asked with a laugh.

“Couple hours ago - Renee’s idea.” Helena answered flatly.

Sal playfully nudged Helena’s right side. “Look at you, pretending you’re not excited. Little storm-cloud.”

Helena’s mouth twisted as she tried her best not to smile. Dinah saw right through it. Helena didn’t look half as tired as she had in the days prior. As far as Dinah was concerned, Helena could tolerate some teasing.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Helena gave Sal a side-long glance, as if she was waiting for him to chime in. When he didn’t, she seemed surprised. “Well, as soon as your doctor comes by, we’ll be taking you home...hopefully.”

Helena’s hesitation was a tell-tale sign that she’d spent a great deal of time worrying about the alternative. Dinah pushed the negative thoughts - all about spending any more time in the hospital - from her mind. 

“Y’all gotta get me outta here.” If she spent one more night in the hospital she’d lose her mind. She just wanted to go home.

Sal winked. “We’ll break you out.”

“Okay.” Helena gave a stiff nod. “I’ll go find a nurse.”

Helena took no time to step quickly out of the room, leaving Dinah alone with Sal.

“Ready to go home, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

“I can imagine.” Sal was still smiling as he crossed his arms. “It’ll be good for both of you. There’s no resting in a hospital.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Dinah looked toward the door and couldn’t shake the pang of worry she felt when she thought of Helena. “Is she okay?”

Sal blew his cheeks out with a puff of air, frowning at the door. He didn’t seem to be entirely sure. Eventually, he nodded.

“She’ll be fine.” he finally said. “A few days at home, relaxing…”

_ It’s getting her to actually relax that’s the trick. _

She didn’t say it out loud, but Sal shrugged as if she had.

“If we have to get her drunk…” Sal conceded. “We’ll make it work.”

“Deal.”

It didn’t take long for Helena to return with a nurse in tow. Then Helena and Sal were both booted into the hallway as the nurse poked and prodded Dinah, making sure everything was all as it should be. 

Half an hour later, Dinah found herself in a wheelchair, being escorted toward the parking lot. Helena followed along as Sal pushed the chair for her, and Helena looked over the sheets of paper that contained - among other things - orders from Dinah’s doctor that she rest. 

Dinah couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when the car waiting for them in the parking lot was not her own. The freshly washed black SUV was clearly some kind of rental. 

“Your car is...still in the shop.” Helena felt the need to explain.

“That’s fine.”  _ Was I pouting?  _ “I had a feeling it would take a while.”

Helena hummed, stepping out of the way so that Sal could help Dinah into the backseat. Once she was settled he shut the door gently, then turned to return the wheelchair. Helena took advantage of his absence, and quickly walked to the other side of the car to join Dinah in the backseat. 

Dinah laughed. “You know you can sit in the front with Sal.”

“Could. Don’t want to.”

As she continued to laugh, Dinah held out her hand. Helena took it happily. “Laughing still hurts, you know.”

“I’ll try to be less funny.”

Threading their fingers together, Dinah gave Helena’s hand a squeeze. It was a good feeling to know that she was finally going home. 

“Renee is waiting for us at home.” Helena added grumpily. “Harley and Cass too.”

“So  _ everyone’s  _ ready for me to come home, huh?”

“Mmhmm. They’re cleaning.”

“Cleaning? Why?” 

It had been roughly a week. Dinah couldn’t imagine Helena alone had created much of a mess. Especially on her own. If the apartment was a mess, that meant Harley had a hand in it. Or, there was the possibility that in Dinah’s absence Helena had let things go - relinquishing the almost unlived in level of clean she maintained in favor of something else. 

“I--I haven’t really been doing much.” Helena admitted with a sigh. “Harley and Cass have been there reminding me to eat but -- I’ve not done much else. I didn’t care.”

She’d had a feeling that Helena hadn’t been paying attention to much, considering every available moment had been spent visiting Dinah in the hospital. 

“It can’t be that bad.”

“It is.”

Dinah arched her brow. “Bad for you? Or for me?”

Helena’s huff told Dinah more than enough. The driver’s door opened a few seconds later, and Sal pulled himself into the seat. 

“Wait a minute.” He looked at them in the rear view mirror, confused. “I know I agreed to drive, but I did  _ not  _ come all the way from Sicily to chauffer you two around.”

The laughter in his voice kept Dinah from taking him seriously. Even Helena was smiling, her thumb slowly stroking the back of Dinah’s hand. 

“Do you want me to drive?” Helena offered.

“No, I’m already up here.”

Dinah caught Helena rolling her eyes. She settled back into the seat and sighed. “Can we go home then? Since you don’t want to trade…”

“I just don’t think Dinah wants to hold my hand, is all.”

“Well, hold on.” It was all Dinah could do to keep from laughing. “I’ll hold your hand, Sal.”

“You sure?”

To prove she would, Dinah stretched out her free hand and laid it on the center console. “So long as you don’t plan on burning down any local clubs or bars while you’re here. We’ve done enough of that lately.”

“Deal.”

Hearing Dinah’s joke, Helena gently let her hand go, crossing her arm over her stomach instead. Were it not for the smile on Helena’s face, Dinah would have thought she was upset. But this movement from Helena allowed Dinah to lean up a little further. Sal seized the opportunity and twisted his arm so that he could reach back and hold Dinah’s hand. 

It didn’t last long, since it was a fairly awkward position for both of them, but Dinah felt comforted by the way Sal squeezed her hand before he let go. When he started the car and busied himself with driving, Dinah turned her attention back to Helena. She still held her arm across her body, and was staring out the window with a blank expression. Dinah scooted close enough to her that their legs brushed together, in a half-assed attempt to get Helena’s attention.

When this didn’t work, Dinah squeezed her hand through the gap at Helena’s elbow, reaching for her hand herself. Only then did Helena relent. She let Dinah tug her arm over, their rejoined hands resting between them.

“Better?” Dinah teased.

“Mmhmm.”

Dinah smiled and let her head come to rest against Helena’s shoulder. They stayed like this for a few minutes before Dinah felt Helena press a kiss into her hair. For the most part, the rest of the car ride was spent in a comfortable silence. The only exception to this was the occasional comment from Sal, marvelling at how much Gotham had changed since he’d been there last. 

When they did finally make it back to the apartment, Sal pulled in to park behind Renee’s car on the curb. Helena helped Dinah out of the car, and it was only then that they both saw Oliver’s car parked across the street.

“What does  _ he  _ want?” Helena muttered.

“I don’t know.” Dinah admittedly hadn’t heard from him in a couple days. “He must already be upstairs.”

Helena made a noise of complaint in the back of her throat but said nothing else. Regardless, Dinah agreed with the sentiment. Part of her hoped that Oliver only wanted to welcome her home with the others. The realistic side of Dinah, however, knew better.

_ Better go see what he wants. _

“Dinah!” Cass shouted from above her, pulling Dinah from her thoughts. Dinah looked up to find Cass standing on the fire escape with Harley, and the pair of them were waving.

“Hi guys!” Dinah called back.

“Dickhead is here.” Harley told her.

While the warning was appreciated, Dinah had already figured that out. “I know. What’s he want?” Harley and Cass looked at each other for a moment before they both gave Dinah a shrug. “Nevermind. We’ll be up in a second.”

Harley disappeared back inside and left Cass peering over the railing. “What took so long?”

“Sal drives slow.”

Dinah thought she heard Helena chuckle behind her, but the sound was short-lived. Helena and Sal let Dinah lead them inside and slowly up the stairs, but by the time Dinah reached the top she was exhausted.

The apartment door was unlocked and slightly ajar when they reached it. Dinah wasn’t too worried - and at least she knew  _ who  _ was inside. 

Dinah’s first sight stepping through the door was Renee. Renee, who was standing at the kitchen counter with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a glass in the other. Then came Oliver, who was across the counter, fussing with an open laptop. He barely even looked up when they all walked inside together. Harley was still at the window, helping Cass climb back inside. It was good to see them all again outside of the hospital.

“You guys trying to start a party without us?” Dinah asked with a laugh. 

* * *

“You guys trying to start a party without us?”

As Dinah asked the question, Helena caught Renee’s eye. She held Helena’s gaze for a moment before raising a brow and looking pointedly at Oliver. 

“Oh.” Helena sighed. “Dinah, he’s here to talk.”

“Are we finally going to get to hear all your secrets?” Dinah asked, not skipping a beat.

The tight-lipped smile he gave her over his laptop was not convincing.

“What?”

Oliver’s eyes flitted to Sal, then back to Dinah. “I had planned on this being a conversation with the three of you.” He nodded toward Harley and Cass. “Without the company.”

Cass looked at Harley and arched her brow, but Harley didn’t budge. The look Harley gave Helena gave her the idea that she didn’t plan on going anywhere. Helena held back another sigh, looking to Dinah for help.

Sal’s reaction was faster. “Come on, ladies. We’ll go get ice cream.”

“You hate American ice cream…” Helena muttered.

Sal feigned a glare, not giving Helena any further response. The promise of ice cream was, however, enough to win Harley over. “C’mon, kid. They’ll tell us later.” She gave Cass a nudge, bouncing over to where Sal stood beside Helena. When she reached him, Harley looped her arm through Sal’s with a wink. “Hi.”

He mustered a smile of his own, steering her toward the door. As the pair walked behind Helena, he reached out and gave Helena’s shoulder a comforting pat.

Cass was right on their heels, and as the door closed she couldn’t help but feel like Sal was doing them a favor. The door shut softly, just as Harley began animatedly asking for sprinkles.

Next to her, Dinah sighed, a hand coming up to massage her temple. “I need to sit down.”

Helena followed her into the living room, carefully watching Dinah. She winced as she lowered herself onto the couch, waving away Helena’s concern with a hand as Helena sat down beside her. It didn’t take long for Renee to join them, folding one leg underneath her as she sat down in the armchair. 

Once settled, Renee downed the rest of her drink in one gulp and deposited the empty glass onto the coffee table. “Let’s get this over with.” she said loudly, her attention on Oliver.

Instead of answering, Oliver scooped his laptop up and swept into the living room. “I don’t know where to start.” he admitted. He lowered the laptop onto the coffee table with a sigh. “So let’s start here.”

Oliver turned the laptop around so that the screen was facing them. On the screen was a static image of a woman’s face, painted green and staring back at them. 

“This,” Oliver explained slowly, “Is Oracle.”

“Your friend you keep mentioning?” Dinah asked.

“Yes. She’s been responsible for...most of the information I’ve given you.”

“And what about what you  _ haven’t  _ told us?”

Dinah was asking all the questions, which Helena was happy to let her do. Renee had crossed her arms, lips pressed tightly together as she eyed the laptop. 

“Uh…” Oliver suddenly grew nervous, aimlessly scratching the back of his head. “Well, Oracle is here on behalf of the Justice League.”

A robotic, female voice spoke up from the laptop. “I am here to make sure he tells you the  _ truth.”  _

Helena didn’t miss the scowl that formed on Dinah’s face. “It’ll be nice to get the truth from someone around here.”

Helena looked to Oliver, watching as he squirmed. “The Justice League is...not happy with me.” Oliver continued. “I…”

“Get on with it.” Oracle interrupted.

“I--I put you three in unnecessary danger--withheld information--.” As he mentioned each one, his head bobbed along like he was going over a mental checklist. Suddenly, Helena understood what Dinah meant with her claims that everything Oliver did was heavily rehearsed. 

“Stop.” Renee huffed in annoyance. “We just want to know what was going on with the Penguin.”

“What  _ was  _ the Penguin doing?” Dinah asked. 

Oliver stared blankly at Dinah, though he didn’t seem to be truly  _ looking  _ at her. He took a deep breath, and began pacing around the living room.

“You haven’t told them, have you?”

Dinah, who had been sitting beside Helena watching Oliver’s every move, folded her arms across her chest. “Please.” there was an angry snap in her voice. “Enlighten us. Because God knows, Oliver isn’t going to.”

There was a prolonged silence that followed, like Oracle was giving Oliver a chance to answer on his own. He never took it. So Oracle continued. “The Penguin was trying to build a nuclear bomb.”

This caught all of their attention, quickly. Helena sat up a little straighter, waiting for further explanation to come. 

“I warned Mr. Queen of this weeks ago.”

“So he’s known the whole time?” Dinah spoke clearly, a measured dose of anger dripping from every word. 

“Yes. I don’t know why this information wasn’t shared with you.”

“Oh I can imagine.” Dinah was glaring as Oliver continued to pace, her eyes following every step. “Oliver.” Snapping at him caused him to stop, looking at Dinah with wide, slightly panicked eyes. “I bet he thought he could use us to do all the pointless work. If we do good work, he looks good for the Justice League. If not--.”

“He calls the Justice League to fix the mess.” Renee finished for her.

“You fucking  _ played  _ us.” Dinah growled. “Just to make yourself look good.”

This was the final straw - Oliver managed to find his voice again. “You didn’t need to know--it wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“We could have  _ died.” _ Dinah’s voice had started getting louder, and while Helena didn’t mind the yelling, she was worried that Dinah would get too worked up - when she should be  _ resting. _ “I know the risks, Ollie. We all do. But this--there’s a difference between expecting risks and being led in blind. You  _ lied _ to us.”

“I couldn’t trust you,” Oliver started, “Not with Harley--.”

“Don’t bring her into this. You didn’t trust us  _ before  _ we told Harley.”

“Dinah--.”

“Why can’t you just admit you did all this to try and stroke your stupid ego? You didn’t care if it killed us or not.”

“I did--I  _ do.”  _ Oliver tried to explain. 

“You’re a fucking  _ liar!” _ Dinah shouted the accusation at him, the high-pitch of her voice causing the empty glass on the coffee table to begin rattling. 

“Dinah.” Helena said her name firmly, placing a hand on Dinah’s leg and giving her a squeeze. “Don’t. It’s not worth it.”

Helena was just as angry as Dinah was, and she thought Oliver deserved every bit of it. But if Dinah’s temper unleashed one of her Canary cries, Helena knew they’d end up having to go back to the hospital.

“She’s right.” Renee muttered. “Don’t hurt yourself for this ass.”

Dinah sunk back into the couch, glaring at Oliver all the while. She sighed after a moment and her hand came to rest on top of Helena’s. 

“So now what happens?” Dinah asked through gritted teeth.

“Oh--.” Oliver’s face lit up at the question. “I’ll be going back to Star City and --.”

“Not you, you stupid ass.” Renee stopped him. “With the Penguin.”

Once again, Oracle answered for him. “The Justice League thought it best that Batman take over from here. What had been built of the device has already been found and destroyed. It should be none of your concern - all taken care of.”

“Is it safe?”

“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if it wasn’t.”

Helena didn’t buy that for a second. She exchanged a glance with Renee, whose arms were folded tightly across her chest, one leg bouncing nervously. 

“You said he was  _ trying  _ to build one - does that mean it wasn’t finished?”

“Yes. We were lucky. I’ll fill you in on the rest...later.”

Dinah’s nails were digging painfully into Helena’s hand as she tried to control her temper, but at least she was  _ trying. _

“We’re supposed to just trust you instead?” Helena asked. “A talking computer? That’s kind of weird.”

“Think of me as a peace offering.” Oracle replied. “From the Justice League - for going through all of this. My new job will be helping you three do things here in Gotham.”

“I find that hard to believe.” 

“I understand. I want this partnership to start off on the right foot, and I want to meet you all - in person.”

“What?” Oliver asked, his voice cracking in disbelief. “We’ve been working together for years - I’ve never met you.”

“And you won’t.” At Oracle’s words Dinah began gradually releasing her tight grip on Helena’s hand. “I’m invested in what these three do in Gotham - it would be rude to not introduce myself properly. Tomorrow, if that’s okay, ladies.”

Renee looked at Dinah and Helena in turn, the question in her eyes met by Dinah’s shrug. “Tomorrow should be fine.”

“I already have the address for that base of yours. I’ll meet you there, Birds.”

The screen quickly went black with an air of finality, the green face that had been watching them now gone. With the silence that followed, Oliver closed the laptop, his eyes shifting nervously around the room. 

“I really--.”

“Don’t.” Dinah cut him off. “Don’t even. Did you know or not?”

“I did.”

“The whole time?”

“...yes.”

Dinah pointed toward the door. “Get the fuck out of my house.”

Oliver opened and shut his mouth a few times, stammering as he did so. Dinah lowered her hand as he collected his laptop, ignoring each subsequent attempt by Oliver to explain himself.

He eventually did make it to the door without being told again.The three of them continued to sit in silence as he left, waiting until the door had shut behind him. 

“A fucking nuke…” Dinah muttered under her breath. “How were  _ we _ supposed to have dealt with that?”

“We wouldn’t be able to.” Renee said as she stood up from the chair and stretched. “That’s the point. He wanted to claim he did it himself.”

Dinah shook her head with disbelief, her hands balled into fists. “That selfish fucker.”

“Mmhmm.” Renee nodded at Helena as she walked by. “I need another drink. You want one?”

“Yes.”

“Not you,” Renee clarified when Dinah opened her mouth. “You’re still on those pain pills.”

“Yeah, yeah. Didn’t know you were a doctor.”

Renee rolled her eyes, heading into the kitchen and rummaging through the cabinets. “What do you two want to do about Oliver?”

“Break his fuckin’ nose.”

“Mm. And you, Helena?”

Helena shrugged her good shoulder, wincing at the twinge of pain that spread from the other side. “Not much we can do, now. It’s done.”

“What about this Oracle business?”

There, Helena wasn’t sure. She certainly seemed to be a better option than Oliver, though Helena couldn’t imagine they’d be working with him again anytime soon. “I don’t know.”

“She actually seems to know what’s going on.” Dinah said. “Plus - sounds like she’s willing to  _ share.” _

“So we’re already better off.” Helena added. 

Shortly, Renee returned from the kitchen balancing three drinks in her hands, having taken the time to pour Dinah a glass of water. “Good enough for me. We’ll see if she really shows tomorrow.”

Helena nodded, quietly thanking Renee as her drink was passed over. “Oliver doesn’t even know who she is. Is that good or bad?”

“Good, for us.” Dinah decided. “Means she trusts us more than him.”

“For good reason, too.” Renee chuckled. “Maybe this won’t be a waste of time.”

“Guess we’ll find out.”

* * *

It was good to be home. The days spent in the hospital had been long and tiresome. Dinah was looking forward to sleeping in her own bed again. Sal - despite having booked a nearby hotel room - had fallen asleep on the couch. Helena and Dinah had left him alone to rest. She’d planned on calling it an early night - though she was surprised when Helena beat her to the bedroom. Dinah hadn’t allowed her much of a head start, but by the time she herself had made it into the bedroom Helena was already settling under the covers.

She had propped a few extra pillows under her head, making it easier for her to see the television - the newest addition to their bedroom.

“How’d they talk you into moving that in here?” Dinah asked with a laugh.

“Cass’ idea.”

Gingerly, Dinah climbed onto the bed next to Helena. She curled up against Helena’s side, carefully settling into the bed as Helena pulled the blanket over her.

“I don’t hear you complaining.”

“Not yet.”

Dinah hummed, resting her head against Helena’s chest. Once she was comfortable, Helena’s right arm wrapped around Dinah’s shoulders, keeping them close together.

“How do you feel about Oracle?” 

The question surprised her. Helena had not had much to say about the conversation they’d had with Oliver that afternoon, but Dinah had thought little of it. As far as Helena was concerned Dinah felt like she was content to just like Renee and Dinah make most of the decisions. In regards to meeting Oracle the next morning, this had still been true. 

“Can’t be worse than Oliver, can she?”

Helena huffed - Dinah hadn’t given the answer she wanted, if that was any indication. But Dinah didn’t know exactly what Helena was looking for.

“What?”

“I...I don’t know.” Helena sighed. “I’m not sure what to think.”

“Well, do you care?”

“No.” That was said firmly. “I’m with you and Renee. Whatever you guys think.”

Dinah chuckled and gave a little nod. “I had a feeling you felt that way. But you felt like that about Oliver in the beginning too.”

This gave Helena pause. She gave it a few moments of thought before she murmured her agreement. “I’ll let you know sooner if my mind changes.”

“We’ve learned our lesson, Helena. If you get a bad feeling, something’s wrong.”

“Mmhmm.” 

As they grew still, Dinah could bear the steady beat of Helena’s heart against her ear. This was accompanied by the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of Helena’s chest as she breathed. Dinah concentrated on this especially, doing her best to match Helena’s rhythm.

“Are you tired?” Dinah asked minutes later.

“Yes.” There was a long pause that followed, and Dinah didn’t foresee there being more. Then Helena admitted: “I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“Me either.”

Helena gave her a squeeze. “I—I didn’t like sleeping alone.”

“Harley and Cass were here,” Dinah suggested, despite knowing this wouldn’t have helped. “You could have—.”

“It’s not the same.” Helena replied.

_ I know. _

“It wasn’t you.”

“Well I’m here, now.” Dinah smiled and tried to fight off a yawn. “That means we’ll both sleep better.”

Though she knew it would come soon, Dinah wouldn’t rush sleep, not yet. Allowing herself to enjoy the comfort provided by hearing the thrumming beat of Helena’s heart - to be soothed by the warmth of Helena’s body next to her - was a far more pressing matter. Gradually, Dinah  _ would  _ be lulled to sleep, but until then she would cherish each passing second.

“Sal is snoring.” Helena whispered, as if even talking despite the closed bedroom door would wake him.

“So we weren’t the only ones tired.” Dinah giggled softly. “What time is it?”

As Helena murmured “I don’t know”, her chest rumbled with each syllable from her lips. Dinah’s eyes closed on their own when Helena continued. “We don’t have any plans for tomorrow, doesn’t matter.”

“What’re we gonna do then, sleep in?”

“All day.” Helena replied decisively.

Dinah’s laughter ended in a breathy yawn. “Promise? Sure Harley won’t break in again?”

“Do you want me to lock the door?” Helena offered though they both knew that wouldn’t stop Harley.

“Does that mean you have to get up?”

“Typically. Won’t take a second.”

“Mm.” The idea was offensive. She was too comfortable to let Helena move now. “Let’s not.”

Helena, who hadn’t even  _ tried  _ to move aside from the offer, hummed her agreement. Dinah’s eyelids grew heavier with each second that passed, despite how hard she fought to keep them open. She was beginning to lose the fight - and a yawn from Helena came as a sign that she herself wasn’t fairing much better.

Sometime shortly after this, the television was shut off. This killed any remaining noise, but Dinah didn’t find herself missing it. Without the television’s interference she could now hear Sal snoring, just as Helena had said, though it was muffled by the bedroom walls.

“Dinah?” Helena whispered her name so softly Dinah wouldn’t have heard it at all if she wasn’t resting against Helena’s chest.

“Hmm?”

“I’ve missed you.”

That had gone without saying, Dinah thought. “Did you not have fun with Cass and Harley?” She teased, her voice thick with sleep.

“That’s different.”

“I know...I missed you too.”

Her time in the hospital hadn’t been the kind of vacation she’d had in mind. Once the visitation hours were over each day and Helena had to go home, Dinah was forced to endure night after sleepless night, unable to find rest easily. There was plenty for Dinah to miss. Nothing would compare to wing at home with Helena, where her anxieties melted away and she was able to quite her mind. 

She couldn’t imagine it was any easier on Helena. The biggest difference was that Helena had to endure these same feelings at home, alone - and Dinah couldn’t decide which was worse. It didn’t matter much now, she was grateful for that. Now the real recovery could begin.

As if she had read Dinah’s mind, Helena grumbled: “I think we may need a vacation.”

“The shape we’re in? Hell yeah we do.” Considering there wouldn’t be much crime-fighting in this condition, Dinah would gladly take the opportunity now presented to her. “Where do you wanna go?”

Helena chuckled, which came as somewhat of a surprise. “How many guests are we going to have?”

“Renee can come.” Dinah giggled. “Harley and Cass—.”

“—will be invited, by Harley.”

“Don’t act like you don’t like it.” 

Helena sighed. “I would like it if they did it less.”

“I thought you liked the predictability.”

Helena mulled it over, her hand absentmindedly rubbing Dinah’s back. “Maybe surprises from Harley aren’t the best. You’re right.”

“Okay so we’re all going.”

“Oh, you’re not inviting Oliver?”

Helena couldn’t see Dinah’s expression in the dark, but that didn’t stop Dinah from scrunching her face up in disgust. “No. He needs to go back to Star City - and stay there.”

“No more secrets that way.”

“A nuke is a little bit more than a secret.” The anger from earlier still sat raw and festering in her stomach. If she wasn’t supposed to 

Helena yawned again, but there was no reason to debate what Oliver had done any longer. “Are you going to take him to the airport?”

“Doubt it. I would start a fight in the parking garage.”

“Well, I’m on your side.”

Dinah caught herself smiling. “I bet you are.”

“I could take him.”

Helena was joking, despite the serious tone she tried to keep as she said it. Dinah chuckled to herself regardless. “Oh I’m sure.”

“I only need one arm.”

“Uh huh.”

“That’s all it took last time.”

_ There  _ she had a point. Though Dinah kept her fingers crossed that it wouldn’t come to that again. 

“Helena.”

“Hmm?”

“Go to bed - you’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m already  _ in  _ bed.”

_ Smart ass.  _ “Okay then, go to  _ sleep.” _

“Mm. Okay. Only because you insist.”

Sleep could only do them good, at this point.

“I absolutely do.”

“I love you, Dinah.”

“Still not sleeping.” Helena huffed at Dinah’s teasing. “Okay—I know. I love you too.”

This, Helena accepted, squeezing Dinah gently with her arm before they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“Have you taken your medicine today?”

_ Of course she has.  _ Still, there had to be a reason for Renee to ask, so Helena found herself looking at Dinah worriedly nonetheless. Dinah was bent over a nearby table, her face twisted in pain. She had one hand pressed into her side and there was no question that  _ something  _ was bothering her. 

“Dinah?” Helena asked gently when she didn’t answer Renee. “You okay?”

Dinah waved her off dismissively. “Fine.” She managed to say. “Just sore.”

The answer wasn’t comforting by any means, but Helena didn’t try to press the issue any further. The pain on Dinah’s face eventually began to fade, and she straightened and turned to look at them. 

“Renee,” Dinah said with an arched brow. “Want to volunteer to take Oliver to the airport?”

“Hell no. You do it.”

“Absolutely not.” Dinah glanced at Helena and asked her too. “What about you?”

“He can call a cab.” She answered flatly.

“Good idea.”

“Hopefully he’ll be gone by the time we’re done meeting Oracle.” Helena suggested, careful not to get her hopes up.

Dinah snorted. “And pass up one last chance to get on our nerves? Keep dreamin’.”

They’d gotten a message from Oracle that morning, letting them know what time to expect her. Now, all that there was left to do was wait. The problem was, none of them were good at that.

“She’s late.” Renee muttered, looking at her watch. 

Helena shrugged. That seemed to be their luck lately. If something could go wrong, it would. Helena could count on that. This tardiness was no exception.

Unfortunately there was nothing else for them to do in the meantime. Dinah found somewhere to sit down, but was unable to hide the wince of pain the movement caused from Helena.

Helena gave her another worried look, hoping the ‘are you okay’ would be conveyed without the need to say it. Dinah met her gaze and nodded after a moment. When Renee looked between the two of them, Dinah shrugged but said nothing. 

They spent a few minutes in this silence, too busy waiting to say much. There was nothing left to say, not really. Nothing that didn’t require the information Oracle was allegedly going to give them. 

The knock on the door did eventually come, suddenly, and startled all three of them. Renee had dozed off, and the sound nearly caused her to fall out of her chair.

“I got it.” Helena said as Renee tried to right herself.

Helena walked quickly to the door, opening it carefully and peering outside as she did so. Outside the door sat a redheaded woman in a wheelchair, and in her lap she had a laptop and a folder full of papers. She was eyeing Helena carefully over the top of a narrow pair of glasses.

“Huntress.” She said with a tight-lipped smile. 

“...Oracle?”

The name was met with a sly wink. “Let’s go inside.”

Unable to think of what else to say, Helena took a step back and held the door open for her. She shut the door once they were both inside, and Helena heard Renee gasp in surprise as her back was turned.

“ _ Barbara Gordon?”  _ Renee asked in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

Helena turned in time to see  _ Barbara  _ motion at the folder in her lap. “You three deserve some answers. 

She steered her wheelchair toward the nearest table and began unloading her things. Dinah had stood up by then, and walked closer to get a better look at what she was doing - joined quickly by Renee.

“Wait a minute.” Helena didn’t understand why Dinah shared Renee’s surprise. “ _ You’re  _ Oracle?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

“What the hell is going on?” Helena asked.

“This is Commissioner Gordon’s daughter, Barbara.” Renee explained. Her attention went back to Barbara as if that alone had answered Helena’s question adequately. “I didn’t know you worked with the Justice League.”

“That’s the point.” She said dryly. “Oliver has no idea either. Most don’t. To the Justice League, I’m Oracle - and I have a job to do.”

Dinah beat Helena to the next question. “So why tell us?”

“I understand that with Olver there were some...trust issues. Revealing myself to you should eliminate some of that.”

Dinah crossed her arms, skeptical. “You’re really going to tell us everything?”

“Everything you’re going to be involved in, yes.”

Dinah looked from Renee to Helena, but it was Helena who shrugged. “Good enough for me.”

“Alright.” Renee pulled up a chair so that she could sit across from Barbara. “Let’s get started.”

Barbara sighed. “I’ll start by apologizing for Oliver wasting your time.”

“Weren’t you the one giving him his leads?”

“The good ones.” She explained. Seeing her scowl, Helena realized they weren’t the only ones angry with Oliver. “The others..I’m sure he made those up.”

“So what about the nuke?” Renee asked.

Barbara opened the folder she’d laid on on the table and began sorting through the papers inside. “We knew about his deliveries. But we didn’t know what he was doing - not in a definite concrete way. That’s why we asked Oliver to come to Gotham and look into it. The Justice League was busy, and I can only do so much on my own.”

Helena clenched her fist, feeling her nails dig into her palms. The whole situation was fucked up, but had the potential to get better now. She couldn’t believe they’d let Oliver drag them into the middle of this. Judging from the matching scowls that dinah and Renee wore, she wasn’t alone in that sentiment. 

“What about Cass? What did she find?”

“Blueprints, receipts, inventory lists,” Barbara counted off on her fingers as she listed everything, “Cassandra Cain only proved what we suspected. But if you guys hadn’t nearly burnt the place down, who knows what the Penguin could have gotten done. You scared him off.”

Barbara stopped for a moment, shaking her head with a laugh.

“What?”

“The fire was a nice touch.” Barbara replied. “We weren’t happy with the fresh pile of corpses you left, but…”

“That was me.” Helena replied, unapologetically.

“I know. So was the fire.”

“I...had a little help with that.”

“Harley isn’t gonna be a problem, is she?” Dinah asked. She was looking over Renee’s shoulder at some of the papers Barbara had handed to them. “I know Oliver used her as an excuse to not tell us stuff.”

Barbara gave it some thought for a few minutes, then shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with it, so long as you don’t tell her who I am.”

That wasn’t the answer Helena had expected by any means. They’d already gotten way farther with Barbara than they had with Oliver. 

There had to be a catch.

“What kind of work do you expect us to do with you?”

“Whatever Gotham needs. I try to keep my eye on things, but the Justice League can’t come in and take care of  _ everything. _ It would be nice to work with someone who was a little more...present.”

Helena couldn’t help but feel slightly distrustful. “Will you tell us everything?” she asked again.

“...yes.” It took a moment for Barbara to agree. “Excluding any Justice League related information, any knowledge I have will be shared. We have the same mutual interest in the safety of Gotham. I have no reason not to help you.”

It sounded too good to be true, considering the ordeal they’d endured with Oliver. But Helena was willing to defer her judgement to Dinah and Renee.

Dinah, who had been listening quietly, looked at Helena and quirked her brow in question. Helena gave a non-committal shrug of her right shoulder.

“Renee?” Dinah asked. “What do you think?”

Renee, still pouring over the pages in front of her, gave no answer.

“Renee.” Dinah said again. 

Quickly Renee cut her eyes at Dinah, realizing that Dinah had asked her a question. “Oh. I’m in.”

“Okay.” Dinah said with a nod. “If you’re in, I’m in.”

“Me too.” Helena agreed.

“Perfect.” Barbara seemed pleased they’d come to an agreement so quickly, though the smile on her lips was faint. “I’d like to get started now…” she looked at Helena and Dinah in turn and sighed. “But I understand you guys need a little downtime.”

Helena was ready to start now. Time off was nice, but in no way necessary. Dinah, however, had other ideas.

“A few days would be nice.”

Barbara was unfazed, and this was likely the answer she’d expected. “Absolutely. I’ll leave all of this for you to look over, give you guys my number, and whenever you’re ready to get started…”

“Good, I’ll have questions.” Renee murmured as she resumed pouring over the pages in front of her. 

Helena already felt better about the whole thing. Working with Barbara already felt promising. There was no way she could be worse than Oliver. Maybe they would finally get some work done.

* * *

“How’s it feel knowing we’re not going to be wasting our time anymore?”

As Dinah asked, she looked across the table to where Renee sat, nursing a drink. Since their talk with Barbara, Renee’s mood had noticeably improved. Helena hadn’t said much, but like Renee it seemed like Helena was feeling better, despite being mostly quiet since they returned to the apartment.

“Good so far.” Renee answered. “Better once we can get some work done.”

Helena, who was standing in the living room looking out the window down at the street below, hummed her agreement. It was a nice, quiet evening, and for that Dinah was grateful.

Sal had already gone back to his hotel for the night, and Harley and Cass had left not long after dinner. Once everything had been cleaned and put away, Renee and Dinah had sat down together, to talk about Barbara and about the future moving forward. For a while, Helena had sat with them and nodded along silently. From there she’d found her way to the window, where she now stood. She was still listening, Dinah knew, but with her back to them and her eyes on the street, Helena’s attention was clearly elsewhere.

She was waiting on Oliver. He had texted Dinah half an hour earlier to let her know that he was going to stop by and see her before he had to catch his flight. 

When Dinah told her that he was coming, Helena’s frown alone had shown she had no interest in seeing him again. 

The sentiment had been shared between the three of them. She knew Helena hadn’t liked having him in the apartment  _ before  _ all of this had happened. In order to keep him out of the apartment, Dinah had promised she’d meet him outside on the sidewalk. It was the only compromise she was willing to offer.

In preparation for Oliver’s arrival, Dinah went into the bedroom and retrieved her old engagement ring and its necklace from the jewelry box. No matter what, Dinah had no intention of letting Oliver leave Gotham without it. 

Currently, it was tucked into her pocket. It had taken a lot of consideration to not give the ring to Cass and have her slip it into his pocket, where it wouldn’t be noticed until he got to the airport. But Dinah needed to do this herself.

“Oliver’s here.” Helena dead-panned from the window.

Renee looked up, but made no attempt to move. “You’re up, Lance.”

“I know.” Dinah sighed. “I’ll be back in a few.”

She received no complaint from either party. A short trip downstairs and through the doors outside left her standing on the building’s stoop, watching Oliver talk to the cab driver who had delivered him this far. 

“Was this detour necessary?” Her voice carried more annoyance than she might have liked, but she didn’t try to hide it as she slowly walked down the steps. She thought she heard the window upstairs open, but didn’t give it much thought. She wasn’t going to say anything that Helena couldn’t hear. “Don’t you have a plane to catch?”

He heard her, but waited until he’d stepped away from the cab and had joined her on the sidewalk before he acknowledged her.

“I wanted to talk, before I left.”

Dinah crossed her arms. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

Oliver’s eyes shifted side-to-side as he spoke. “Dinah, can’t I leave on good terms?”

It took everything in her to bite back the ‘no’ that almost left her throat. She would have said so if it would do any good. Oliver would only go home with a bruised ego - and wouldn’t actually act any different.

“I really am sorry.” Oliver noticed her silence and continued. “I know I should have been more honest with everyone. Especially you. After all this time--.”

“I’m not doing this right now, Oliver.” Dinah was far too tired to go round and round with him on this. “Why did you  _ really  _ come here?”

As there typically was with everything Oliver did, Dinah suspected there was some ulterior motive. Whether she learned what it was or not, would be the real question.

“I mean...can’t I just come talk?”

“I have a phone.” She answered flatly. “You could have called.”

“You can ignore a phone.”

“Oh, you think I can’t go back upstairs and ignore you there too?” She watched him carefully as she said so, trying to read his expression. “Because I can definitely do that.”

“Dinah…”

“What--do--you--want?”

She refused to give him any traces of regular conversation until he gave her a straight answer. 

“How did your meeting with Oracle go today?”

“Fine.” was her short reply. “Why?”

“Just wondering.” He shifted back and forth on his feet, a motion that immediately caught her eye. “So you met her?”

“Yes.”

“And how is she?”

“Fine.”

A beat of silence followed, and as Oliver stared at her expectantly Dinah realized what it was he was waiting for her to say.

“Oh.”

“What?”

“You want me to tell you who she really is.” As she narrowed her eyes, she no longer hid the snap in her voice. “That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”

“It’s--not exactly--.”

He held his hands up defensively, trying to back-pedal. Dinah was having none of it. 

“So you still think that after  _ everything _ that you’ve done, that I’m going to just give that information to you?” She raised her voice, stepping toward him. “You got some fuckin’ nerve, Oliver.”

“I just thought--.”

“Shut up.”

“Dinah--.”

“It's high time I kept some secrets of my own.”

“I wasn’t going to ask--.”

“No, you thought I’d just tell you.” She took a deep breath, trying in vain to calm some of her anger. “You need to leave.”

“Dinah, seriously--.”

Under normal circumstances, Dinah might have felt bad for not letting him finish anything he tried to say. But today she had no such problems. It was time for Oliver to go home - and she felt no remorse in telling him so. 

Shoving her hand into her pocket, Dinah felt the chain of the necklace brush against her fingertips. She yanked it out of her pocket, ring and all, clutching it tightly in her hand. Maybe  _ this _ would drive the point home.

“You need to go, Oliver” as she said it, Dinah shoved the ring into his hands. “And you need to take this with you.”

Realization dawned on his face slowly, as he turned his hand over and looked down at the ring that lay in his palm. His shoulders seemed to deflate the longer he stood there, as his chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh. 

“Oh.” he managed to say.

Oh.

His mouth hung open for a few more seconds, eventually snapping closed. Another sigh followed, accompanied by a stiff nod. He clumsily stuffed the ring into his pocket, and it took a while for him to look at her again.

“Oliver.”

He cleared his throat, still nodding. “Yeah, I get it.”

“Do you, though?”

“Yeah.” His voice had an unmistakable chill to it. “You’re right. I have a plane to catch.” 

A small part of Dinah felt bad. It couldn’t be helped. Not with their history. But she  _ could  _ ignore it. At the end of the day, Oliver would be alright.

“Let me know when you get home.” Dinah told him. She tried to sound somewhat friendly. He wanted to end on good terms - and there were none. This was the only friendly courtesy she could give him. She was angry with him still, but not heartless. If anything remained of their friendship, it was strained, and it was best not to pretend. 

All Oliver gave in return was another nod, then glanced quickly over his shoulder at the waiting cab. “Alright.”

It was unusual, seeing him so speechless. There was once a point in her life that seeing him like this would have hurt her. She didn’t feel that way anymore. He would be alright. They stood awkwardly across from each other, staring. With another sigh he lifted his arms, like he wanted to give her a parting hug, but he didn’t move any further and she made no move to accept. His arms dropped as quickly as he’d lifted them.

She might have heard him mutter ‘bye’, but there was no way to be certain. He was in the cab and gone within moments, leaving Dinah on the sidewalk alone, where she watched the cab pull away and then turn down the street out of sight. Behind her, she heard the screeching sound of metal, as the ladder of the fire escape was lowered.

Dinah didn’t need to turn around to know it was Helena who climbed carefully down the narrow ladder. Soft footsteps shuffled across the concrete, stopping just behind her. Helena’s arm slipped around her waist, but Dinah held in her sigh until she felt Helena rest her chin on her shoulder. She felt the question in the way Helena squeezed her. 

“I’m okay.” Dinah promised. “It’s...tough. Overdue, though.”

Helena hummed, tilting her head forward to kiss Dinah’s shoulder. Dinah suspected Helena had heard everything from the fire escape, though there wasn’t much that had been said. 

“He’ll be fine.” Dinah said, only to try and further convince herself. “Ass.”

“Mm.”

“Can’t believe he tried that.”

“Mmhmm.”

Helena probably  _ could  _ believe it. But she didn’t say so. Dinah was grateful for that - whatever her differences with Oliver were, and there were many - Helena had never brought them against Dinah.

“I’m ready for life to go back to normal.” Dinah murmured.

_ This  _ is what Helena responded to. “Do either of us even know what normal is?”

“No.”

Dinah grabbed Helena’s arm and gave it a squeeze, seeking some comfort even in this odd embrace. 

“Then we’ll do just fine the way we are.”

Whole-heartedly, Dinah believed her. She turned around so that she could face Helena, wrapping both her arms loosely around Helena’s waist.

“Promise?”

“Mmhmm.”

“A vacation might make me feel better.” Dinah teased.

The corner of Helena’s mouth twitched with a smile. “I thought we already agreed on that. Looks like we’ve got time, now…”

“When does Sal go home?”

Helena huffed, looking to the side as she thought it over. “Couple days. We can go somewhere once he leaves.”

“Perfect.” Dinah leaned her forehead against Helena and smiled. “Where do you want to go? We never decided.”

“I’ll be happy anywhere with you.”

“Mm.” Dinah peppered a few kisses on Helena’s cheek as she gave it some thought. “What about our entourage?”

“Well..they’ll be coming too.”

“Mmhmm, and?”

Helena grinned. “I’m sure they have an opinion on where they want to go.”

She looked up toward their apartment window and when Dinah followed her gaze she saw Renee looking over the railing. “What do you think?”

“Wherever we go, I better not be stuck in a room with you two.” Renee laughed.

“You got a deal, Montoya.”

Dinah saw Renee roll her eyes before disappearing back inside. 

“C’mon.” Helena said quietly, her eyes crinkled with contained laughter. “Let’s go back upstairs.”

Dinah complied, leaving one arm around Helena’s waist as they turned in unison to head back inside. Some time off would be good for all of them, and their new arrangement with Barbara - with Oracle and the Justice League - was promising. Things looked good, and after they took a quick vacation they’d be right back at work, doing whatever Barbara needed. As she walked up the stairs together, Dinah found herself excitedly looking forward to the future. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This posted way later than I meant it to, but such is life. Life, Covid, house buying—etc. and the fic ended up losing a chapter in the process but it is done and I couldn’t be happier. I want to thank everyone for all the support and all the comments it means the world to me. I have a few more fics in the works and I hope to start posting them in the coming weeks once life decides to be a little more agreeable. As always, you can find me on tumblr at kassandraaaaa.tumblr.com, and a huge thank you to my beta reader, Scooter, without whom this fic and all others after it would not be possible.  
> Thank you guys! Love you big <3


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